Why Bush must choose a conservative

Responding to my advice to President Bush, a reader says that even if Bush withdraws Harriet Miers,

conservatives should not assume—or hope—that Bush will then nominate a Luttig or McConnell! That would show that he kowtowed to conservatives, that he gave in. It will never happen. He will simply nominate either another moderate female or a Gonzales-type.

I agree with the reader as to the state of Bush’s feelings. I’ve said repeatedly that Bush has no desire to nominate or fight for a genuine conservative in place of Miers. Yet it is the only way for him to end the current crisis. If he chose Gonzales, the conservatives’ rage against him would continue and even increase, paralyzing his presidency. While he cannot win back their love and their full support, he can and must end the current standoff. And he can only do this by replacing Miers with a worthy nominee in accordance with his previous commitments.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at October 21, 2005 01:44 PM | Send