Update 3: Kevin Aylward can't bring himself to be negative. In fact, he quotes Tim Russert on why Miers might actually be qualified... Oh, the Bush fan's dilemma.
Update 2: David Frum took his first crack at Harriet Miers last week... here's the shrapnel, courtesy of SwingStateProject:
She rose to her present position by her absolute devotion to George Bush. I mentioned last week that she told me that the president was the most brilliant man she had ever met. To flatter on such a scale a person must either be an unscrupulous dissembler, which Miers most certainly is not, or a natural follower. And natural followers do not belong on the Supreme Court of the United States.
Nor is it safe for the president's conservative supporters to defer to the president's judgment and say, "Well, he must know best." The record shows I fear that the president's judgment has always been at its worst on personnel matters.
And for good measure, Swing State also reads my mind:
Michael Brown is a name that should come up a great deal during the Miers' confirmation process. Harriet Miers is a Michael Brown quality pick. Even right-wing bloggers are using the word 'cronyism' and are worried because they know Bush can't afford this.
The storyline of Bush giving key jobs to completely unqualified political hacks is connecting with the American people. By picking people on the basis of loyalty, rather than effectiveness, Bush has set the stage for the Culture of Corruption that engulfs the entire Republican Party.
Natch.
Update: The American Spectator has conservatives on the Hill in full bane over the Miers nomnation, and even talking fillibuster:
Just spoke with a staffer for a conservative member of the Judiciary Committee whose boss is extremely unhappy about the nomination of Harriet Miers.
"We heard her name. We made it clear that she was unacceptable as a nominee on the basis of qualifications and her views, which we simply don't know anything about," says the staffer. "We worked with her on policy issues, though, before she was elevated to White House counsel and let's just say we were underwhelmed."
There is now talk of among some conservatives about a filibuster of the Miers nomination. Never mind the Al Gore donations or the money that was floated to the DNC when Miers was a managing partner in a law firm, those can be explained away as "good for the business of the firm."
Unfortunately, given the level of support Miers appears to be generating among Democrats, such a move appears impossible, though admirable.
According to several White House sources, few inside the building took the possibility of a Miers nomination seriously. Now that it's a reality, they are stunned. "We passed up Gonzales for this?" was one conservative staffer's reaction. "I don't know much about Gonzales, but I think I know enough that he's more of a conservative than Harriet is."
Conservatives staffers inside the White House were pushing a number of names early last week, but said they felt frustrated by lack of traction on any of them. "It became clear on Wednesday that he had a nominee in place and he was just waiting on timing," says another White House staffer.
According to this staffer the fact that it was Miers was one reason the President chose not to put the name out last Friday as some had hoped. "Between Frist's problems and DeLay's problems, we were concerned that the Miers nomination would have so many conservatives pissed at us that it would just be awful. I can't tell you how unhappy some of us insider here are right now. We go from the high of John Roberts to this."
Needless to say, a tough day for Dubya...
Original post: Latest buzz on Bush's counsel-turned-nominee Harriet Miers: she donated money to Al Gore and other Democrats... Also, Miers may be even gayer than John Roberts was supposed to be: she's 60, never married, no kids... Yep. Sounds like the poster girl for conservatism to me... And the supposedly helpful buzz on right wing radio is that she worked at some point, in some capacity, for Exodus Ministries, the ex-gay organization. (A bit of self-loathing at work, perhaps...?) So you think the right hates this nomination? You're damned straight.
“I like Harriet Miers. As White House Counsel, she has worked with me in a courteous and professional manner. I am also impressed with the fact that she was a trailblazer for women as managing partner of a major Dallas law firm and as the first woman president of the Texas Bar Association.
“In my view, the Supreme Court would benefit from the addition of a justice who has real experience as a practicing lawyer. The current justices have all been chosen from the lower federal courts. A nominee with relevant non-judicial experience would bring a different and useful perspective to the Court.
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"[T]he practice of arbitrary imprisonments, have been, in all ages, the favorite and most formidable instruments of tyranny.' Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 84, August, 1788
