Is Harriet Miers a smoke-screen?

[NorCalDem]

Not sure if anyone else has discussed this, but I got the feeling last night that Bush/Rove might WANT Harriet Miers to be rebuked from the Supreme court, and they want the Republican's to do it.

What a perfect way to help out your Congressmen and Senators get re-elected in '06 than by giving them one sure-fire way to "stand up to Bush" and show that their not his personal lap dog. I was racking my brain trying to figure out WHY Bush would nominate her, and this is all I could come up with. Then, when she is left unconfirmed, Bush can nominate a truly evil person, like Alberto Gonzalez or someone similar. Of course this renomination would take place after the '06 elections, and Bush could nominate whomever he pleases. The Republicans in the Senate won't have to worry about re-election for quite some time, so they'd be free to blindly support him.

The only flaw in this theory is the assumption by BushCo that they'll maintain control of the Senate in '06, which seems less likely to happen everyday. But, who knows how things will turn out, they do count the votes. Anyway, someone tell me I'm crazy (or rather, that Bush is for nominating someone SO unqualified) and reassure me that our commander-in-chief is an idiot and not a master politico-strategist!

[barbaraann]

1. I think it might be Bush trying to get rid of an "entanglement."

I've seen how hard it is for married men to get rid of entanglements several times in my life.

[progressoid]

2. He's an idiot.

It is possible that there are ulterior motives. But I doubt W could come up with anything so complex.

I'm of the opinion that the WH is in disarray and W is short-circuiting.

[NorCalDem]

8. I wasn't thinking Bush came up with it

so much as Bush/Rove/et al.

[Dhalgren]

3. I don't see how displaying to the country and the world that your

party is one huge, greedy, incompetent, self-interested, lying, stealing, cheating, cluster-fuck is going to help Publicans in '06...

[tk2kewl]

4. nor displaying that your party's leader is dumber that a box of rocks

[MADem]

5. There is blowback to that theory

If the monkey is rejected, it makes him look weak and lame. No one will have any sympathy for him, they will just want him to hurry up and finish up his second term, because he will be viewed as having gone past his sell-by date.

I will say, though, now that monkey has picked Miss You are So Cool/Best Ever Harriet, he could be fanning the flames of the controversy to eat up air time--turning a negative into a slightly less negative. If the talking heads are talking about Harriet's mash notes, her childish eighth grader wardrobe and home cut bangs, her ambiguous sex life, and other piddling little details, they are not talking about frog marches.

It is all about the news cycle--the day is a pie being fed to voracious couch potatoes, and there are only so many slices to allocate.

He could be hoping that if the Harriet slice is huge, the Rove/Libby slice will be a sliver. If another young blonde white woman goes missing, he will be in hog heaven....

[NorCalDem]

9. I was thinking that is a tactic of the GOP in general

GWB doesn't need to get re-elected, and he can't. What he does need, however, is a Republican majority in the Senate through '08 to avoid impeachment, etc.

By giving other Repugs a sure-fire way to stand up to him (without really standing up for him) THEY get brownie points from their constituents. Basically, I feel as if Harriet Miers is damage control to allow for the Republicans to coddle the balls of their constituents until they get re-elected, then they can go batshit crazy again :D

[MADem]

11. Hmmmm, that would suggest they are more worried about 06 than they are

letting on, to go to those lengths!

I like the way you think!!!

[NorCalDem]

15. Damn straight!

They SHOULD be worried about '06. With the way things are going now, no amount of "Diebold'ing" the vote will be able to save their asses come election day.

[BlueManDude]

6. No - Bush hates "losing"

Never admit a mistake. Never back down.

[mzteris]

7. YES!

She was never intended for the SC - just a stall tactic and diversion.

I'm hearing Viet Dinh is the real go to guy...

Though now that their entire house of cards is falling, they may not have the backing to get anyone confirmed.

[applegrove]

10. There is something to that. Did Rove - give the neocons & the GOP

an out come election 2006 "we didn't support the unqualifed Miers - while the Dems did - we GOP are for competence in all appointments".

We will know come the elections in 2006.

[liberal43110]

12. No Way

Like other people have replied, no way Bush intended Miers to be rejected and use the confusion as a smokescreen. Bush is an arrogant, selfish power-monger and is not about to take a fall for the Republican party. Moreover, I don't think rejecting Bush's court nominee strengthens the party in any way: it makes Bush look weak, it makes the party look fractured, it lends credence to charges of cronyism, it could potentially air a lot of dirty laundry that Bush would rather not see the light of day.

Bottom line: not a chance.

[Fire Walk With Me]

13. I've wondered if it's to pull attention away from Roberts

who is just as scary, and a friend of BushCo (what more do you really need to know???)

Either of them in office is a disaster of vast proportions.

And good point about Roe vs. Wade not going anytime soon, as someone on DU said; they need it as a rallying point. It would "go" as the cherry on top of a political/ultrachristian victory.

[Jane Austin]

14. I think it's just another bone stupid move from bush.

n/t