The Unnecessary Trouble

New York Post Online Edition: postopinion

THE MIERS WITHDRAWAL:MISJUDGING DUBYA

by John Podhoretz

October 28, 2005 -- A FEW weeks ago, some idiot wrote these words: "Bush will pull out of Iraq sooner than he'll withdraw the Miers nomination."

That same idiot later wrote, "Unless unexpected news emerges in the next three weeks, there's absolutely no reason to think that Harriet Miers will withdraw her own name or that President Bush will withdraw it. If conservative writer David Frum's 'withdraw Miers' petition ends up with 50,000 names on it, that won't change things a whit. So what's needed to be said about her nomination has been said, and now we will all have to wait to listen to Miers herself."

I was that idiot.

Having spent years counseling people not to "misunderestimate" George W. Bush, I've been guilty of doing just that. When the time came for the president to face political reality and make a bold decision on his failing Supreme Court nomination, he did what was necessary."

Hmm, I must have missed that particular story of yours, John. You DO tend to kneejerk quite well, but it is difficult to understand how anyone truly believed Harriet was in it for the long haul. Then again, "a few weeks ago" we were all so confused about this that people were saying things out of frustration and anger and a sense of betrayal, so don't be too hard on yourself.

A lot of folks have commented that Bush eventually gets the big things right, and he did it again so in the long run it's no harm no foul, and I do believe that both he and we learned some lessons here. One never grows from doing everything right all the time, and this misstep may have helped him in ways as yet to be determined.

Ann Coulter had it spot-on when she commented that he'll never underestimate his base again, and we SHOULD see one dynamite nomination in the days to come.

"The president made unnecessary trouble for himself by offering a cavalier nomination of someone unqualified for the Supreme Court and unprepared for the rigors of the confirmation process. The most welcome news, for those who support his agenda, is that he is still capable of taking bold and unexpected steps and proving that even friendly pundits like me are capable of making idiots of themselves trying to guess what he's going to do.
So don't ask me who the next pick will be."

I really do not believe that he thought it to be a cavalier nomination, John, and you should speak for yourself but not imagine that you are, or were, aware of his thought processes on the matter. He slipped. He wasn't ready for and did not want a knockdown drag-out fight, and believed her a shoe-in with regards to Democratic opposition.

It IS a shame that he made a lot of "unecessary" trouble for himself...he should of course have focused upon making necessary trouble instead, but to err is human.

Also, I do not think Harriet was unprepared for the rigors of the confirmation process...she is what she is, he knew it, she knew it, and they thought 'screw what the Dems want, this is flying through on the wings of the Republican majority, and damn what the likes of Biden and Kennedy and Schumer do or say.'

You should really stop now, John, before you say something else stupid. Too late? Yeah.