Stick A Fork In Her - She's Done

The Commissar has been watching the Tradesports odds on Harriet Miers' nomination prospects.

SOOPER SEKRET MESSAGE TO THE WHITE HOUSE: Read Krauth's column today. Learn it. Live it. Love it.

UPDATE: I think the responses of Rich and K-Lo to Jonah in this little exchange over in The Corner are exactly right:

RE: WHAT IF MIERS WITHDRAWS [Rich Lowry ]

The likeliest result is that everyone forgets about Harriet Miers within a month, and we all unite around the new nominee.
Posted at 10:51 AM

RE: WHAT IF? [Kathryn Jean Lopez]

I'm not sure there is actually a large contingent of people who really think Miers is the bee's knees as far as a SCOTUS pick. There are people who know her and think she's a cool person and good lawyer and support her, partly out of personal loyalty. There are people who trust the president. There are people who are just resigned. But a lot of people recognize that this doesn't seem to be a brilliant pick--and you can think she's a good person and good lawyer and generally trust the president and still recognize that.

If she withdraws and the president nominates a Luttig type, the Dems will be so rabid and the Right will be so rallied, I don't know that there's any significant long-term damage on the Right.
Posted at 10:45 AM

WHAT IF MIERS WITHDRAWS [Jonah Goldberg]

It's worth ponderng the possibility that if Miers is withdrawn the damage to the conservative movement will be more lasting than if she's voted up or down. If she pulls out, the folks who think she was great will blame her conservative critics and attribute any of Bush's weaknesses as a result of conservative disloyalty. The benefit for the movement is that if she's confirmed, the debate gets settled eventually. One side will be right the other wrong. But if she's yanked, there will be no resolution.

Of course, none of this should be weighed very heavily in the argument over her nomination. Helping conservatives bury the hatchet isn't a particularly strong rationale for confirming her.

To me, Jonah makes a false assumption that there is a body of people out there who actually think Miers is "great". K-Lo nails the description of those people still defending Dubya's pick. And she and Rich are both right that if Dubya came back post-Miers with the genuine conservative heat (as I argued he should have done to begin with), the Right would quickly rally round. I really don't see the potential damage that Johan worries about.

UPDATE DEUX: But cheer up, all you grumpy Miers-philes! Here comes the cavalry! (Yips! to Jonathan Last.)