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Miers: The Political Fallout
The week went from bad to worse for the Bush White House this morning when Harriet Miers asked the president to withdraw her Supreme Court nomination.
President Bush is in Florida today, but House and Senate Republican leaders met with him yesterday. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), Senate Majority Whip Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) and House Majority leader Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) attended that meeting. No mention was made of withdrawing the Miers nomination, according to informed sources, although planning for her potential confirmation fight was a topic of discussion. Several high-level Republican sources said today that the Bush White House was not caught by surprise by her decision.
Miers's departure comes 24 hours before special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald is expected to announce the results of his investigation into the 2003 leak of a CIA operative's name to the news media -- with the potential that one or more high-ranking White House officials could be indicted.
That coincidence of timing led Republican operatives to wonder whether White House insiders know something about the outcome of the leak investigation. "It wouldn't surprise me if the White House timed this to overshadow -- or at least compete with -- indictments today," said one high-level Republican consultant, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the delicateness of the matter. "Even if the indictments come tomorrow, it's still smart timing because it divides the chattering class, weekend talk show focus between the open Supreme Court seat and the indictments, rather than spending all Sunday morning on the indictments."
One senior Republican rejected that analysis, arguing: "[The White House does] not know what is going to happen on the leak and I think whoever said that is just plain wrong." The source added that by "cutting losses now, and any more that might come on the CIA [leak investigation], allows the White House to turn the corner unfettered by excess baggage."
Regardless of why the announcement was made today, Miers's decision was immediately interpreted by many in the Republican establishment as another blow to a faltering White House. One Republican lobbyist called the withdrawal "a statement of presidential weakness."
The source painted the move as a cave by the president to the conservative wing of the party, which had expressed growing disgruntlement with the choice of Miers, who, they argued, had an insufficient record to justify Bush's contention that she would be a conservative Supreme Court justice.
"Having taken the criticism -- and on the verge of the pending legal investigation resolution -- this smacks of being pushed around by Phyllis Schlafly," the source said. "For a president famous for being resolute -- this is wrong."
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) echoed that view in a statement this morning. "The radical right wing of the Republican Party killed the Harriet Miers nomination," he said.
Brian Jones, the Republican National Committee's communications director, acknowledged that the "political atmospherics in Washington, D.C. are not ideal" at the moment, but he pivoted to argue that on issues voters really care about -- the state of the economy and foreign affairs -- the Bush administration remains on target. "Some of these larger events that all have a terminal date are superseding them right now," Jones said.
A House Republican strategist expressed a decided lack of concern about the impact of Miers's withdrawal on the the party's strength heading into the 2006 elections. "Who cares?" said the source. "Two months from now whoever the next nominee is is going to be sitting on the court. This stuff is happening 13 months from the election."
By Chris Cillizza |
October 27, 2005; 12:15 PM ET
| Category:
Politics and the Court
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Comments
Posted by: Margaret Lersch | October 27, 2005 8:00 PM | Report abuse
Why did you leave out the second half of Reid's comment? I assume it was inadvertent. However, Reid's comment about court packing is germane to your readers. It suggests the Democratic line with any ultra-conservative, for one thing.
I also wonder, as a moderate independent voter, since when does winning a Presidential election by 3% entitle the Administration to put up extremists? I'm hoping they'll have the sense to put someone up like O'Connor and be done with it.
Posted by: Tim | October 27, 2005 2:11 PM | Report abuse
At least with the next nominee, Rove won't be calling Dobson, or Coulter or LimBAH! He stuck his foot in his mouth too many times now, and maybe FINALLY, his foot got stuck there!!!!
Posted by: Amanda | October 27, 2005 12:51 PM | Report abuse
How interesting that Charles Krauthammer is now dictating White House policy.
The scenario that unfolded today was originally spelled out by syndicated columnist Krauthammer in a Washington Post op-ed from the 21st:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/20/AR2005102001635.html
Let's hope that the President Bush does not look to A Coulter/Limbaugh/Dobson-like cabal to select the next nominee.
Posted by: scootmandubious | October 27, 2005 12:32 PM | Report abuse
I like Maureen Mahoney . . . female, conservative, qualified. done and done.
Posted by: Another Roberts | October 27, 2005 12:27 PM | Report abuse
I disagree with that notion tkelly. I think what was said is just GOP damage control on two issues that really threaten the President's and the Republican's power in the next 3 years.
No one can in political power would want two left hooks in two days. Unless of course you know something the world does not.
Secrets are not something new to this administration.
nick d.
www.thedailyrebellion.blogspot.com
Posted by: nick d | October 27, 2005 11:53 AM | Report abuse
Three Words:
Janice Rogers Brown
Posted by: Dave | October 27, 2005 11:53 AM | Report abuse
I think the political fallout will be that the American people will now realize just how much power the "Right" has in this country! I won't refer to them as the "Religious Right" as so many others do, because that implies the "Left" is made up of all atheists! Anyway, since when does a particular party become the driving force in choosing someone for the Supreme Court? When I hear the likes of Ann Coulter spew her venom, even at the President, because SHE didn't like who he chose, it really makes me feel ill. Ann Coulter is Rush Limbaugh's alter ego!! Both have very large mouths, and even LARGER EGOS! Harriet Miers WAS a mistake, but she would have been exposed in the confirmation hearings and that is the way it should have been handled. The "Right" were all afraid of the embarrassment I believe! There were so many insulting remarks made about her that I felt sympathy for her. You would have thought she had no FEELINGS! Well, she got railroaded, and by the "RIGHT". Too bad they couldn't see what a dud they backed in George W. Bush! It would have saved our country a lot of harm and embarrassment, and 2000 of our men and women would be alive today and we wouldn't have l7,000 of our men and women in hospitals, many thousands of them without arms and legs!
Posted by: Amanda | October 27, 2005 11:45 AM | Report abuse
I think you are right on the mark to focus on the issue of deflecting interest from the wrap up of the CIA leak case. We'll really know that this was the reason she withdrew now if the White House nominates someone else in short order to deflect even further comment on any indictments.
Posted by: tkelly | October 27, 2005 11:37 AM | Report abuse
The comments to this entry are closed.
This withdrawal is good for the country, good for the court, and good for
Harriet Meirs. Now lets get on with the business of the country,restore and repair hurricane damage, extricate ourselves from
Iraq and reduce the deficit.