George Will on George Bush
By Keith Boykin, in politics
Thursday, October 6 2005, 12:48AM
It is rare that I agree with George Will on anything. The right-wing commentator is usually far too conservative for my taste. But Will's column yesterday on Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers should be read by everyone who cares about the nation's highest court. Don't take my word for it. Read what Will says.
Will lists several reasons why President Bush should not be trusted and Miers should not be confirmed. See my synopsis below.
1. Bush is not smart enough to decide. Will: "He has neither the inclination nor the ability to make sophisticated judgments about competing approaches to construing the Constitution. Few presidents acquire such abilities in the course of their presidential careers, and this president, particularly, is not disposed to such reflections."
2. Miers is not qualified for the job. Will: "If 100 such people had been asked to list 100 individuals who have given evidence of the reflectiveness and excellence requisite in a justice, Miers’ name probably would not have appeared in any of the 10,000 places on those lists."
3. Bush doesn't care about the Constitution. Will: "The president has forfeited his right to be trusted as a custodian of the Constitution."
4. Miers is merely a Bush crony. Will: "It is important that Miers not be confirmed unless, in her 61st year, she suddenly and unexpectedly is found to have hitherto undisclosed interests and talents pertinent to the court’s role. Otherwise the sound principle of substantial deference to a president’s choice of judicial nominees will dissolve into a rationalization for senatorial abdication of the duty to hold presidents to some standards of seriousness that will prevent them from reducing the Supreme Court to a private plaything useful for fulfilling whims on behalf of friends."
Comments conceal
Fratman1906
October 6 2005, 9:28AM
Right on George Will. While he is at it, let's hear him excoriate Bill Bennett as well for his racist remarks. Shem hotep!
cmoney
October 6 2005, 12:50PM
I question the intelligence of George Will if it took him 5 years to figure out that "W" is an idiot. Also, he's just being the elitist snob that his pack of privileged white male WSJ reading Republicans represent. Miers isn't an Ivy league, inside the Beltway chattering twit like he is and he can't relate to her. I'm not supporting her nomination, I just don't see what Will's point is. I have no doubt that Miers is a right wing whacko. It's just that Bush didn't pick one of the good old boys that the Right Wing expected and now they are howling. They were the first to say that the President had the right to pick whom he wanted to sit on the bench because he "won" the election. Now that Bush has picked the person he wanted and it wasn't someone they wanted (e.g. conservative white male, inside the beltway, Ivy league educated, RICH, outspoken in his beliefs and a member of the right clubs) they object worse than the Democrats. I can think of a lot of judges who have done far worse than this woman could ever do. Clarence Thomas comes quickly to mind. They voted for Bush and this is what they get, so they need to shut up.
Wise&Young
October 6 2005, 12:52PM
A horrible choice
Just my thoughts
Kenneth Winfrey
October 6 2005, 12:56PM
There are signs everywhere that nobody is comfortable with Miers--not even Republicans and/or Conservatives. They, like everyone else, want to know what to expect. Miers offers us nothing to go on, and clearly doesn't have the kind of experience that would make either side of the debate comfortable.
I can live with a competent person, with whom I disagree. However I can't accept engaging the ideas of a moron, regardless of their political party or values platform. Nor can I avoid the fact that this is all happening in a democracy, where the government is supposed to be by, and for, the people. I guess if we don't accept our responsibility, and hold with high regard the privilege, as citizens to vote and participate in the process, we'll have to learn to live with this kind of craziness. "W" will teach us a lesson...
Troy
October 6 2005, 1:16PM
Ladies and Gentlemen, this is what happens when you stop wearing sloppy bowties...
cody
October 6 2005, 2:11PM
CMONEY
Uda man!
Very well stated.
Regan DuCasse
October 6 2005, 5:06PM
Physical diversity means nothing, if ideological diversity isn't in play.
Bush, the father, stuck us with Clarence Thomas.
He might as well have been a white man like Antonin Scalia.
A woman who represented Bush and his ideals and still fawningly does...as does Condi Rice-give no comfort to the rest of us women or black folk.
Bush's appointments in other cabinet posts, the FDA, the Office of Education...FEMA..have all proven themselves to be VERY prejudiced people with little empathy for female and or gay and lesbian or all our concerns as legal citizens, as everday AMERICANS.
Prejudiced and as incompetent as Bush is as a President.
Fratman1906
October 6 2005, 5:14PM
If confirmed to the Supreme Court, Harriet Miers will probably sit quietly during oral arguments like Clarence Thomas and never turn on the Mike. Then Antonin Scalia can write her opinions along with Clarence Thomas and thus get to vote 3 times. Shem hotep!
Qusan
October 6 2005, 10:08PM
What kills me about all of these conservatives on the rampage is that they've defended Dubya to the death prior to this. Now they are all coming out acting like he is dumb as dirt! I am partially dumbfounded because I don't understand why THIS Bush decision is being so vilified. We can kill thousands of Iraqis and have 2,000 US soldiers killed without outrage but nominating this woman has people like Ann Coulter bringing up his drinking. (Her latest column at anncoulter.com is off the chain).
Are these people playing some kind of joke? What exactly were they expecting from our "fearless leader?" Pat Buchanan may have a stroke before this is over!
cody
October 7 2005, 12:07PM
Thanks Qusan.
I hate that witch and would never have gone to her site, but that was worth the slog.
Now the world knows Bush is incapable of running a government. Seven years too late.
Leslye M. Huff, Esq.
October 7 2005, 2:18PM
I read it too and I agree that will's article is filled with wise statements about Bush and his credibility. We don't need Will to state the obvious, however; we need only to look at last week's headlines to see that Bush has had a string of appointments that are (stated kindly) inappropriate. Brown, former head of FEMA, is a clear example. Even his choice of running mate, Cheney, is an example of Bush playing fast and loose with the safety of Americans since Cheney, sitting second in command is very unhealthy = you may recall that Cheney's heart is precariously balanced by an internal defribulator! Where was George Will's comments when George Bush made that choice?
As to Miers: what did the papa of the religious right, Dobson, hear that makes him content with Miers appointment?
BTW - has there been any hint that Miers has had in conversion that could have placed her in an "ex-gay" category? Just asking...
alicia banks
October 7 2005, 2:26PM
indeed!!!...
gwb has become too insane even for the insane...
petrifying!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
peace
ab
Monica Roberts
October 10 2005, 5:57PM
You can add to the list of peeps of who's sanity we need to question all of the Negro ministers who supported (amd still do) Junior in 2004 just to get their hands on that faith-based bribe money.