Kevin Drum points us to this Bryon York column in NRO.
Strategists working with the White House in support of the Supreme Court nomination of Harriet Miers are becoming increasingly demoralized and pessimistic about the nomination's prospects on Capitol Hill in the wake of Miers's meetings with several Republican and Democratic senators. On a conference call held this morning, they even discussed whether Miers should simply stop visiting with lawmakers, lest any further damage be done — and so that time spent in such get-acquainted sessions will not cut into Miers's intensive preparation for her confirmation hearing….Withdraw the nomination? No way.“The meetings with the senators are going terribly. On a scale of one to 100, they are in negative territory. The thought now is that they have to end....Obviously the smart thing to do would be to withdraw the nomination and have a do-over as soon as possible. But the White House is so irrational that who knows? As of this morning, there is a sort of pig-headed resolve to press forward, cancel the meetings with senators if necessary, and bone up for the hearings."
Let’s all say it together:
We must give judicial nominees the up-or-down votes they deserve.It was not just Bill Frist leading the chorus. Here are 171,000 references to “up or down vote” + "judicial nominees."
Harriett Miers deserves an up or down vote. Say it again. Say it often enough and it just may splinter the Republican Party.
Posted by Dwight Meredith at October 20, 2005 07:54 PM