The Right Divided over Miers

It's kind of fun watching the right disagreeing over the nomination of Harriet Miers. It's even more fun watching them continue to scream about the left while doing so. Here's what Jay Sekulow, head of Pat Robertson's American Center for Law and Justice, had to say yesterday:

"Once again, President Bush showed exceptional judgment in naming Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court to replace Justice O'Connor," said Sekulow in a statement. "At a time when the high court is facing some of the most critical issues of the day - including a number of cases dealing directly with abortion and life issues - the person who replaces Justice O'Connor is critical.

"Harriet Miers is an excellent choice with an extraordinary record of service in the legal community and is certain to approach her work on the high court with a firm commitment to follow the Constitution and the rule of law. I have been privileged to work with her in her capacity as White House counsel. She is bright, thoughtful, and a consummate professional, and I enthusiastically endorse her nomination."

Sekulow said his organization is ready to mount a campaign in support of Miers, as it did with Chief Justice John Roberts during his confirmation process. ACLJ's radio program reaches 1.5 million listeners each week.

"We know the intentions of the liberal left - to do anything possible to derail this nominee," said Sekulow. "We are prepared to meet those challenges head on and ensure that this battle ends with the confirmation of Harriet Miers as an associate justice of the Supreme Court."

Okay Jay, put down the script, which we all know you'd repeat even if Bush had nominated a houseplant for the job, wake up and smell the vitriol coming from your ideological comrades. The effort to derail this nominee is coming from the right, not the left. Miers was on the list of acceptable candidates that Harry Reid and Pat Leahy gave to the President, while the right is falling all over themselves blasting this woman. In addition to the statements from various religious right leaders that I already listed, here are some more. Edward Delgaudio of Public Advocate:

"The president's nomination of Miers is a betrayal of the conservative, pro-family voters whose support put Bush in the White House in both the 2000 and 2004 elections and who were promised Supreme Court appointments in the mold of Thomas and Scalia. Instead we were given 'stealth nominees,' who have never ruled on controversial issues, more in the mold of the disastrous choice of David Souter by this president's father.

"When there are so many proven judges in the mix, it is unacceptable this president has appointed a political crony with no conservative credentials. This attempt at 'Bush Packing' the Supreme Court must not be allowed to pass the Senate, and we will forcefully oppose this nomination."

Operation Rescue:

"We must reject the nomination of Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court of the United States," said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman.

"President Bush promised that he would appoint strong constitutional constructionist to the Supreme Court in the mold of Thomas and Scalia, but Miers is no Thomas or Scalia. We must be given a nominee that will restore the protections of personhood to the pre-born. If your head was about to be crushed, would you want to trust you life to someone who will not state their position on your murder?"

Meanwhile, another anti-abortion group takes the opposite position:

Father Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life and president of the National Pro-life Religious Council, thanked Bush for the Miers nomination.

"Our prayers are with Harriet Miers this morning as she begins this important process," Pavone said in a statement. "We trust the president's judgment and his determination to fulfill his promises about the kind of justices he wants to see on the court."

Seeing the issue rapidly get out ot hand yesterday, the White House quickly had Vice President Dick Cheney call in ot the Rush Limbaugh show to assure his listeners that Miers would do them proud. His last words on the show: "You will be proud of Harriet's record. Trust me." Josh Claybourn lists all of the reasons why the Bush administration can't be trusted by conservatives.

Meanwhile, the Worldnutdaily is busy hammering the nominee, and being rather dishonest in the process. Joseph Farah based an entire article bashing her on a proposed agenda for an ABA meeting that included items supporting gay adoptions and other things he didn't like:

Meanwhile, during Miers long affiliation with the American Bar Association, she submitted a 1999 report to the ABA's house of delegates that included recommendations to develop and establish an International Criminal Court and the enactment of laws and public policy providing that the sexual orientation of adults be no bar to adoption of children.

Under the heading Family Law and subheading Adoption, the document states: "Supports the enactment of laws and public policy which provide that sexual orientation shall not be a bar to adoption when the adoption is determined to be in the best interest of the child."

Also included, under the heading International Law and Practice, is a recommendation for "the development and establishment of an International Criminal Court."

But this is all a lie. The "report" was actually a list of potential agenda items that had been submitted by other ABA members. Below each item is the contact information for the person or people who submitted the item for consideration by the larger body. Miers was simply forwarding this on along with a request for any more possible items. Whether those items were put on the agenda, and whether they passed, was up to the larger body to decide. The report was not a list of Miers' recommendations, it was a list of other people's recommendations for consideration. It in no way indicates her position on any of the items proposed for such consideration. Such sloppy journalism is hardly a surprise coming from the Worldnutdaily, which might as well rename itself Newspaper for Dummies.