Harriet Miers???

Another slap to the face, this one.

How else can we explain Harriet Miers? It's simply an appointment made out of loyalty, nothing else.

We've seen this style of appointment before; Dick Cheney was in charge of George Bush's search for a VP before he himself became the nominee. Miers was playing a critical role in the search for a new Justice when she herself became that nominee.

What do we know about her? Well it seems to depend on whom you talk to. Apparently some conservatives (especially those who seem to be her friends, but a few notable names in the business, like James Dobson) seem to like her, and are confident in her conservative credentials. However, the vast majority of conservatives are basically floored on this; they have no way to "check" her on the viewpoints they hold dear, and very few of them are comfortable accepting Bush's wink-and-a-nod on this one.

I was especially excited to hear Tony Perkins' comments on this matter (he is the head of the Family Research Council, one of those old-school conservative publications) criticize the White House over his overt comments on Miers' religion: "Inferences drawn from an individual's religious affiliation have no place in decisions to nominate or confirm a judicial appointee." This is a White House seriously under attack.

Their agenda is on the rocks, the war is going badly (not new I know), Karl Rove and Scooter Libby are likely to get indicted, and the Govt's reaction to Katrina is only likely to get more and more press. It is the fall of their discontent.