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Who Matters More, RedState Or James Dobson?

The directors at the conservative RedState blog waited less than a day after President Bush picked Harriet Miers for the Supreme Court to proclaim her "a profound disappointment."

Whether conservatives like it or not, the directors said, "the court has become our legislator," so no "American patriot" can be indifferent to any nomination. And they made it perfectly clear that they are not indifferent about Miers.

"From what we know, Harriet Miers is unqualified for the position. She had an impressive career of 'firsts' as a female attorney in Texas, but those are not enough. Miers did not graduate from a top-tier law school. She has no string of impressive legal writings. She has never served as a judge (let alone clerked for a Supreme Court justice or circuit court judge).

"She has never had a practice focusing on issues relevant to the United States Supreme Court. She has had nothing in her career that indicates she is something other than just a great lawyer -- and being more than just a great lawyer should be a key qualification for one of the final arbiters of American jurisprudence."

RedState is just one of many conservative blogs aggravated by Bush's choice. Michelle Malkin has a host of links to other reactions.

Ed Kilgore, the vice president of policy at the moderate Democratic Leadership Council and a blogger at both NewDonkey and TPMCafe, also was surprised that Bush chose Miers and even wondered aloud whether the cultural right will "foreclose the mortgage" on Bush as a result.

But a reader quickly snapped Kilgore backed to reality with an insight that should humble RedState and other conservative blogs. "[A] comment from Glenn in NYC basically said: 'Don't tell me what a bunch of conservative bloggers are saying; where's Dobson?'"

The reference was to James Dobson, the chairman of Focus on the Family. Kilgore linked to a statement from Dobson that welcomed Miers' nomination. Though Dobson qualified that support somewhat by noting the right's after-confirmation disappointment with Justices Anthony Kennedy and David Souter, he praised Bush for so far being "remarkably consistent" in picking judges "who will interpret the law rather than create it."

Focus on the Family is not the lone conservative voice in backing Miers, either. Some noteworthy bloggers like Hugh Hewitt are, too.

Patrick Ruffini challenged the thinking of "The Herd." "The navel gazers are nabobing about another Souter," he wrote. "That's silly. The court will almost certainly move to the right as a result of the nomination and confirmation of Harriet Miers."

Lorie Byrd at PoliPundit added this: "I simply do not know enough about her to decide whether or not I think the president made a horrible or a brilliant pick. I suspect that the final judgment on it will fall somewhere in between, though. I am just surprised that so many are being so quick to declare this pick a disaster when so little is known about Harriet Miers."

When several of Byrd's readers rebuffed her appeal for them to take a deep breath, she posted another entry that asked a powerful question: "How can those of us on the right ask the Democrats to give President Bush's nominees a chance before passing judgment when some of our own are not willing to do so?"

Posted by | 12:41 PM

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» MIERS & THE MORNING AFTER from Michelle Malkin
***scroll for updates...Bush Rose Garden press conference scheduled for 1030am EDT...a few liveblogging notes...other reax...1245pmEDT Drudge siren...*** Well, it's a new day. Upon sober reflection, President Bush's nomination of Harriet Miers to the S... [Read More]

Tracked on October 4, 2005 01:08 PM

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