Posted on 10/06/2005 11:59:06 PM PDT by Mighty_Quinn
In an initial chat with Miers, according to several people with knowledge of the exchange, Leahy asked her to name her favorite Supreme Court justices. Miers responded with "Warren" -- which led Leahy to ask her whether she meant former Chief Justice Earl Warren, a liberal icon, or former Chief Justice Warren Burger, a conservative who voted for Roe v. Wade . Miers said she meant Warren Burger, the sources said.
A Republican member of the committee, Lindsey O. Graham (S.C.), said after meeting with Miers: "I think the hearings matter in her case probably more than others."
Graham said Miers's challenge will be to "create a comfort level" with conservatives that she shares their strict-constructionist approach to interpreting the Constitution, while convincing the public that she is not biased by her evangelical Christian faith and is qualified for the lifetime post, despite her lack of judicial experience.
Graham said he was "very impressed" by Miers and said the two had discussed her work history and how she had dealt with various types of conflict throughout her career. He described her as a "consensus builder" and a "task-oriented" person.
Brownback said his biggest concern is not knowing where she stands on "key issues of the day," such as abortion, same-sex marriage and property rights. He said that during the meeting, he brought up the Roe v. Wade decision on abortion in the context of another case, and said Miers "did not and would not" articulate a position -- presumably, the senator said, because Roe remains a "live issue" before the court.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
I.E fancy words that you beleive the Wash Compost.
That newspaper that has never ever spread disinformation in political battles.(/sarcasm)
But I thought Bush had pulled off a strategeric coup by conning the Dems and MSM to support Miers' nomination.
Unnamed or "stealth" sources?
I don't necessarily believe what anyone connected with Leahy says. She may have said it, she may not - in any event, she is an enigma, and does not appear to have the qualifications necessary for the job.
If indeed she did say that, God help you.
Regards, Ivan
According to NRO that Miers comment about Warren Burger was taken out of context!!!
http://bench.nationalreview.com/
Meir & Warren
[Kathryn Jean Lopez 10/07 08:04 AM]
This is what I'm told happened:
"Miers was asked about Justices she admired. She responded that she admired different Justices for different reasons, including Warren interrupted by Senator Leahy Burger for his administrative skills.
Reasonable people could ask whether Burger was a great administrator, but the comment is taken out of context by the Washington Post. Miers didn't express admiration for his jurisprudence."
I believe the Washington Post tries to get the facts accurate. It is usually the details they leave out and the spin of the story that is highly questionable. This seems like a straight-forward question and a blunt answer. If this information is incorrect, I would have the a message would be put out by Harriet or the White House that this is not the case. It is just sad that we know so little about the candidate that this is the only kind of information we are getting about what kind of judge she will be.
That's weird, actually.
Regards, Ivan
LOL! Would you like to buy a bridge to Brooklyn?
Very interesting! Where is your source for the Burger quotation?
Why don't atheists or agnostics have to prove that they are "unbiased by their atheism"? Is this what Lindsay Graham actually said or is it the Post's interpretation?
Overall Burger's was not a strong voice on the court. He often only wrote straightforward and uncontroversial opinions and avoided those in which the court was evenly split. Instead, he poured his energy into the other role of the Chief Justice, administering the nation's legal system. He initiated the National Institute for State Courts, which is now located in Williamsburg, Virginia, the Institute for Court Management, and National Institute of Corrections to provide professional training for judges, clerks, and prison guards. He initiated the annual State of the Judiciary speech given by the Chief Justice to the American Bar Association. Some detractors thought his emphasis on the mechanics of the judicial system trivialized the office of Chief Justice.
It may not be a good thing that she admires him - he spent more time on administration than actual law.
Regards, Ivan
It is strange that anyone could rank Supreme Court Justices based on Administration skills. I tend to rank Supreme Court Justices by their cooking skills, but that is just me....
Well one of the things that has been said about her is that she is an experienced bureaucrat, that would explain her emphasis on administration. But that's not the role of a Supreme Court justice. She might be an able official in the Justice Department, however.
Regards, Ivan
"I won't get fooled again ..." (???)
It should be overturned, it's very bad constitutional law. It violates the clause in the Constitution stating that powers not enumerated in the document are reserved for the states and for the people. From a strict constructionist point of view, it needs to be struck down ASAP.
Regards, Ivan
Ivan, I agree with you. HOWEVER, what I said before still goes. You say it must be overturned, I say it won't be overturned. You are stating an aim, while I am stating a fact. These are not necessarily in conflict.
Bst,
BF
And a bureaucrat is not exactly the perspective I would want on the Supreme Court. I really think Harriet Miers is probably a great lady. She sounds like she is pro-life and pro-guns. But I also think that she is willing to compromise on her values because of her bureaucatic background. I am up in the air on her. Bush has misplayed his hand, and it is kind of too late to deal a new one.
A fact? We are prehaps one vote away from having the votes to overturn Roe. We are just one Presidential election and a couple of non-limp wristed Senators away from making your 'fact' fiction, IMHO.
I don't question that she is loyal to Bush...as to how strong a conservative she is, I don't know. But that's the problem, there are far too many questions about her. We don't have the reassurance of her having clerked for Rehnquist or being a member of the Federalist Society, like Roberts. Bush was asked to give a proven jurist, he provided an enigma.
Regards, Ivan
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