So Miers Withdraws Nomination

[selena]

Hmmm.

I got called a dumbass or something akin to that on another board for my views when she was named.

I really, really think a Supreme Court nominee should have judicial experience.

You'll need fast food experience if you hire in as an assistant manager at McDonalds.

[PornoDoggy]

I don't think her lack of judicial experience was the problem. There have been Supreme Court apointees who had no prior judicial experience. The greatest/worst Chief Justice in history had been govenor of California before his nomination.

Apparently, she did herself a lot of damage by demonstrating little or no understanding of constitutional law in the one-on-one interviews with Senators that were supposed to help her win the nomination.

The problem with her nomination was that the right-wing fanatics thought she was a liberal. They figure (rightly) that they put Bush in office, and that he "owes" them this seat. The fact that their views are so extreme that a nominee acceptable to them would not get the consent of the Senate (remember, a lot of them had reservations about Roberts) seems to have escaped them.

There's trouble in Republican City ... and it's going to get worse over the next three years.

[TheEnforcer]

I wonder how Bush wil react to this.... The guy really liked and admired Miers and I have ZERO doubt that he's pissed as all hell that the republicans effectively killed her nomination. Will he try and stick it to them with another nominee that will piss them off to get back at them? I doubt it but it would be sweet to watch.

[MorganGrayson]

I know that there have been Justices without judicial experience, but I'd really prefer that we had one with a grasp of the Constitution, as interpreting said document is their function.

It isn't the same as interpreting and applying laws, which is the function of most other judges.

(The "Legislative Branch," i.e. Congress, does not interpret the Constitution, as a comment/question was raised earlier. They "make law." Usually to excess, but that's another thread entirely.)

[MorganGrayson]

A particularly acidic quote:

"However nice, helpful, prompt and tidy she is, Harriet Miers isn't qualified to play a Supreme Court justice on 'The West Wing,' let alone to be a real one," conservative columnist Ann Coulter said in one of the more cutting comments.

[Dale_Ryan]

Originally Posted by MorganGrayson

A particularly acidic quote:

"However nice, helpful, prompt and tidy she is, Harriet Miers isn't qualified to play a Supreme Court justice on 'The West Wing,' let alone to be a real one," conservative columnist Ann Coulter said in one of the more cutting comments.

[selena]

I dunno.

Just because there have been Justices...no matter how good they may or not have ended up being...with no judicial experience doesn't mean it's been a good practice.

My .02