That said, he tends to look at these things from a purely political standpoint. As a result, he's developed a sort of tin ear when it comes to philosophical issues, IMO.
Posted on 10/27/2005 9:13:07 PM PDT by quidnunc
Anaheim, Calif. – Over the last two elections, the Republican Party regained control of the United States Senate by electing new senators in Florida, Georgia, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, South Dakota and Texas. These victories were attributable in large measure to the central demand made by Republican candidates, and heard and embraced by voters, that President Bush's nominees deserved an up-or-down decision on the floor of the Senate. Now, with the withdrawal of Harriet Miers under an instant, fierce and sometimes false assault from conservative pundits and activists, it will be difficult for Republican candidates to continue to make this winning argument: that Democrats have deeply damaged the integrity of the advice and consent process.
The right's embrace in the Miers nomination of tactics previously exclusive to the left — exaggeration, invective, anonymous sources, an unbroken stream of new charges, television advertisements paid for by secret sources — will make it immeasurably harder to denounce and deflect such assaults when the Democrats make them the next time around. Given the overemphasis on admittedly ambiguous speeches Miers made more than a decade ago, conservative activists will find it difficult to take on liberals in their parallel efforts to destroy some future Robert Bork.
Not all critics of Ms. Miers from the right used these tactics, and those who did not will be able to continue on with the project of restoring sanity to the process that went haywire with Judge Bork's rejection in 1987. Conservatives are also fortunate that no Republican senator called for Ms. Miers's withdrawal.
But the Democrats' hand has been strengthened. Voting for or against Ms. Miers would have forced Senate Democrats to articulate a coherent standard for future nominees. Now, the Democrats have free rein.
-snip-
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Well, that was just a bonus.
The Republican Party needs a good reaming now and then; it's morphed into just another disgusting Big Stupid Government party, and we already had one more of those than we needed.
Fine point.
You think Miers being confirmed with 20 Dems in favor, and 20 Pubbies opposed, is just what the GOP needed?
WELL SAID, MR. HEWITT.
Right. After being savaged by her own side for weeks, sure. They won't be able to sweet talk their way out of this. Bush is still pulling the knives out of his back.
Hughey - you'll do well to listen to Rush each and every day.
If Hugh really cares about conservative principles, he will drop this tirade and start looking to the future, the next nominee.
"David Frum, Bill Kristol, Ann "Impeach Bush" Coulter, et al, will never be able to demand, of the Democrats "give our nominees an up-or-down vote."
The process has been bastardized."
Try tellin' that to the trogladytes.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA!!!!!!
Perhaps a wiser course, would be that with new facts, one has to make new judgments. It really isn't so hard to do that, really.
Why HH would insist that it would've been better for Miers to be voted down in committee or in the full Senate is bizarre -- but then the guy has backed himself into a corner after weeks of attacking anyone who didn't march in lockstep with his thinking.
The one thing so-called "Republicans" have in massive abundance is the uncanny ability to be disloyal at the worst times.
Heck....too many "Republicans" are ignorant of what party discipline even is.
It has not Hewett, on the contrary numbskull.
The dems aren't part of the equation in a minority, idjut.
The Right: Why Hugh Hewett Was Wrong
1. I don't give a damn about the fortunes of the Republican Party - they've devolved into the usual gaggle of greedy, power-mad, sleazy parasites whose only purpose in life is to retain a deathgrip on power and keep whoring themselves out for votes by squandering money confiscated from normal people.
2. Miers on the USSC would be bad for the country; I never said I wanted her to be confirmed. Nor should any politician's bootblack be nominated or confirmed to anything.
"Sorry, you are not going to get out of the responsibility by demanding we all get on board"
Exactly. I hope they are listening. But I doubt it. Too busy back-slapping, drinking champagne, and deciding who their next annointed one should be.
Tell me what you really think Hank. I take it I can't pencil you down as a vote for McCain or Guiliani in 2008.
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