1or2thoughts

Judge Alito is a nominee all Republicans can understand. By selecting a nominee from the short list of those qualified, President Bush has reasserted his position of leadership of the Republican party and fired a shot across of the bow of the shrinking liberal minority. The country has moved (back) to the right and it is time for everyone in Washington to realize this.

Thank you Mr. President!

Hugh Hewitt has the background and the game plan.

Now that the earth has finished shaking over the Libbey indictment on technical, as opposed to substantive issues, we can get back to the business of improving the country and indeed the world.

For a road map to a better tomorrow I suggest reading Victor Davis Hanson and his advice for President Bush. Highlights include:

"go for broke to reclaim his base and redefine his second term as one of principle rather than triangulating politics" by appointing the "most brilliant, accomplished, and conservative jurist possible."

"It is also time to step up lecturing both the American people and the Iraqis on exactly what we are doing in the Sunni Triangle" where "the U.S. Marine Corps has done more for global freedom and social justice in two years than has every U.N. peacekeeping mission since the inception of that now-corrupt organization."

"the more we talk in such terms, the more the president can put the onus of cynical realism on the peace movement and the corrupt forces in the Middle East, who alike wish us to fail."

Thank you Victor Davis Hanson for a wonderful road map to success.

Was this political genius on the part of President Bush? Deliver the message of what traits a judicial nominee should have from outside the confirmation process? Deliver the message to the Republican Majority that Conservatives now run the party and there shall be no more defections or deals with the Minority Party!

There is little doubt that the Conservative message has been strengthened by the Miers nomination and withdrawal. There has been outrage from the Conservative base over an apparent failure to put forth a demonstrably Conservative nominee, the apparent failure to capitalize on the hard fought battle to restore order to the Supreme Court, and an the apparent failure to take advantage of majorities in the House and Senate.

With Miers, is it possible that President Bush intentionally forced the Republican Party to decide between the old or new party? When push came to shove it was the Conservative base that spoke loudest and demonstrated that the Republican Party is now a Conservative Party and it is time to embrace the move to the right or step out of the way quietly.

Thank you President Bush!

The Hedgehog Blog has a different view but hopefully agrees that in short order the party will be more unified, and more Conservative, than ever.

"I don't ask for any projects. I ran on a platform of saying the biggest problem we face in our country is financial and economic, and cultural in Washington, that if we don't change that, I promised you I will not earmark a thing until the budget is in surplus...Look, when the American people want things to change, they will change. Just as like in 1994, they changed? It's this year's time. Make them change. You know, hold them accountable."

Well said Senator Coburn! The Miers nomination has certainly energized the Conservative base of the party and when we hear Senator Coburn talk like we want all senators to talk it provides encouragement to those calling for Conservatives to take control of the party.

Thanks Tapscott's Copy Desk for this information.

In an interview with David Frum on the Hugh Hewitt radio program yesterday, Hugh summed up his defense of the Miers nomination as "My premise is that the president knew he couldn't break a filibuster, but that he could get Miers confirmed, and that she's a reliable vote, in his view, and that we ought to give him the benefit of the doubt."

If this was part of the President's thinking it is critical that he get that message out to the base. Right now the base is greatly divided because of this nomination and the one thing that would unite the party, and swing it decisively to the right, would be an explanation of the importance of rock solid conservative support in the Senate. If properly explained, I can think of no more unifying and motivating issue than this to mobilize the base to turn out strong conservative candidates for Senate in '06 and '08 and make every primary a real race to decide whether conservative or blue bloods will control the Republican party.

Thank you Radio Blogger for the transcription.

According to The Blog of Todd Green "The days of heroes are just about gone."

While at times I feel Mr. Green may be right, I then see young men, searching for their place in life, whose passion is "to be a world changer" and actively pursuing methods to achieve that.

As long as the Todd Greens and The Hosh's of the world are searching, preaching and running the roads the "days of heroes" are very much alive.

"Other than those who are easily betrayed --and probably already feeling betrayed because of budget deficits of less than 5% GDP or a failure to put machine guns on the Mexican border-- the GOP voters in the last category are very few indeed. They have disproportionate representation among the conservative punditry."

It sounds like Hugh is talking about me and all I did was express disappointment while calling for everyone to calm down. I am upset with conservatives on both sides of the Miers nomination and have suggested that since there is no judicial record to tell the story of Miers philosophy we must wait and trust in the Presidents judgment. There is no reason for conservative to turn on conservative over this nomination, specifically because no one knows anything at this time.

Hugh, keep your powder dry for the real issue of defeating Democrats at every opportunity.

A spy who used to work at the White House and who used to be a Marine is a very different, and much less frightening story, than the one we have been told. It also looks as though our counter-intelligence efforts are working and that Vice-President Cheney and the Bush administration are not the fools that ABC and the rest of MSM wanted us to believe.

Thanks Radio Blogger for getting the whole story out.

While the President took a surprise path which calls for continued faith on the part of conservatives, those condemning as well as those praising his nomination of Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court need to keep their speculative commentary civil and reasoned.

Those conservatives condemning Miers as another O'Connor or Souter, wasted Republican nominations or missed opportunities, have no idea how a Justice Miers will rule. With no judicial record all we have is faith and hope that Ms. Miers will be more originalist and conservative than these "doom and gloom" conservatives are predicting.

Likewise, conservatives praising the President for his nomination of Harriet Miers have no idea what type of Justice she will be. Again, with no judicial record to look at, it is pure speculation to proclaim Miers nomination like Scalia or Rehnquist.

President Bush exercised his Constitutional prerogative in nominating Ms. Miers to the Supreme court and neither the condemnations of Ann Coulter or Mark Levin nor the praises of Hugh Hewitt or James Dobson will do anything but prove a distraction to Republicans and fodder for the Democrats. As OKIE on the LAM - In LA reminds us "We might get fat and happy from eating our own, but that won't help us in '06 and especially in '08. We better be forward looking here-just think about the possibility of Hillary appointing replacements or Bader-Ginsberg, Kennedy and Stevens. Now there's something that'll keep you up nights!"

Thanks for the perspective OKIE. I think it is time for those condemning as well as those praising this nomination to tone it down, face the fact that we just do not know what kind of Supreme Court Justice Harriet Miers will be. It is time to trust the President and focus on making sure there is a conservative Republican in the White House when it is time to nominate the next Justice.

With so many high qualified, certifiably conservative, nominees to choose from one has to wonder if President Bush succumbed to a "quota" mentality by only looking to female nominees. Congratulations Harriet Miers, and to Ms. Miers and President Bush, this is one conservative who is hoping you will prove our skepticism wrong and be one of the most conservative members of the Supreme Court in history.

Thanks to Drudge Report for this.