October 27, 2005

MIERS WITHDRAWS!

Woo, Ah say, Woo-Hoo!

Michelle has it.

I've been trying all this time to analogize Dubya's pick of Miers to that scene in Bull Durham where Crash tells Nuke to hit the mascot on purpose in order to throw off the batter. After Nuke does so, Crash looks up at the batter, shrugs and says, "I dunno where it's goin'," and gives him an evil laugh. The next pitch, of course, is a perfect heater that catches the batter flat-footed.

I still hope this is what the White House had in mind, because the alternative explanation - that this was a genuinely accidental wild pitch - is rather unpleasant to contemplate.

In either case, if Dubya does bring the heat now, this whole issue vanishes. The base will rally round.

UPDATE: I think K-Lo speaks for everybody:

The pretext seems to be White House counsel docs and recusal issues. Fine. Can we have a great, qualified candidate now? Mistakes were made. That's okay. Let's get back on track!

The White House and Miers deserves credit for ending it now. And senators who I suspect went to the White House behind the scenes know who they are.

UPDATE DEUX: For more reaction, head on over to the RINO Watering Hole at Decision '08.

UPDATE TROIS: James Joyner and Wizbang have more reaction link-dumps. Still no word from the Puppy Blender. Old Bulls and Young Turks, I suppose.

UPDATE QUATRE: So who's next? Sooper Sekret Message To The White House - JUST SAY "NO" TO 'BERTO!

UPDATE CINQ: Dude, this is freakin' me out right here.

Posted by Robert at October 27, 2005 08:59 AM | TrackBack
Comments

Hey, you scooped Instapundit! Congratulations, that's hard to do.

Posted by: owlish at October 27, 2005 09:28 AM

Llamas for SCOTUS!

Posted by: Pixy Misa at October 27, 2005 09:44 AM

Glenn Harlan is my beyotch.

Posted by: Robbo the LB at October 27, 2005 09:47 AM

I am going with it really was a wild pitch. I don't see how they can do 'Berto after using the lawyer-client confidentiality pitch. It would hold for torture-boy too...

Posted by: LB buddy at October 27, 2005 11:07 AM

Gonzales is qualified, but all the other negatives against Miers apply to him as well: vague judicial philosophy, cronyism, and--much as I hate to agree with LB Buddy--lawyer-client privilege. He seems like more of a revenge pick than anything else.

I'm predicting the next nominee will be an originalist with strong credentials. I'm probably wrong, but right now I'm in a warm, happy place, and I'm going to hang onto that feeling as long as possible.

Posted by: utron at October 27, 2005 12:23 PM

Janice Rogers Brown? She'd be the perfect antidote to all the smarmy self-righteous Democrats on the Judiciary Committee who're concerned about affirmative action, et al.
And I have it on good authority that Glenn had a particularly troublesome puppy to blend this morning.

Posted by: rbj at October 27, 2005 12:52 PM

So, the cipher deciphered. Nice.

Posted by: lemuel at October 27, 2005 01:54 PM

Where will we ever find another nominee with such fabulous fashion sense.

Posted by: V the K at October 27, 2005 03:15 PM

Everyone's rubbing their hands gleefully about this, and talking about what Bush should, or rather had BETTER, do next, as in submit a nominee who is qualified and meets the standards of the right. Well that's all well and good, but I have something to say to those on the right who opposed Miers:

Congratulations! You've proven what bulldogs you can be, how capable of getting dirty in the trenches and really stand up for what you believe in. And hopefully, you'll get what you want -- a well-respected jurist with a good record, who is a staunch originalist.

And if you do, you know the Democrats will come after that nominee's throat. And when they do, you had DAMNED well better show the same fervor, passion, and dogged determination in SUPPORTING that nominee that you showed while opposing Miers, or you're nothing but a bunch of self-serving hypocrites!

Posted by: Brian B at October 27, 2005 04:41 PM

The Donks will come after anybody to the right of Barbra Streisand. On the other hand, assuming Dubya brings the heat, this is exactly the reason for which a lot of people on the Right voted for him to begin with. I don't think you'll see anybody taking a powder on this one.

Posted by: Robbo the LB at October 27, 2005 04:45 PM

I'll believe it when I see it. I remember the pussified way that congressional GOP'ers responded to Dem threats of a filibuster. I guess they were saving their big guns for the real enemy -- their own.

Posted by: Brian B at October 27, 2005 05:07 PM

IMHO: The All Star Line Up...
#1. Kenneth Starr
#2. Michael Luttig or J. Harvie Wilkinson
#3. Janice Rogers Brown or Pricilla Owens

Whatever happens a fight is coming, so it might has well be a big one...

Posted by: KMR at October 27, 2005 07:34 PM

Congrats. Now we have a new verb. "Miered" meaning to "be Borked by false friends".

Posted by: Bob at October 28, 2005 11:38 AM