A Lesson for the Future: Closing Thoughts on Miers

The buzz is that a nominee to replace Harriet Miers to the United States Supreme Court will be announced very soon, most likely in the next 24 hours. Hopefully, it will be a nominee that all those who value freedom can unite behind and repair the damage caused by the unfortunate fight waged by Barabas conservatives, who continue to show their lack of graciousness in victory at defeating Miers.

But as we move on, and the adults in the party attempt to put the pieces back together again and refocus our energy on defeating Democrats and advancing our agenda, there are a few important lessons to be learned from the recent unpleasantness.

Consider the Source

I know the phrase "consider the source" is thinking 101 for anyone over the age of 12. However, it seems that many in the Miers opposition leapt to pre-conceived notions about her, sprouting from seeds sown by sources with an agenda of their own.

David Frum, the Canadian born White House speech writer, who penned such memorable lines as "axis of evil" and whose book "The Right Man" is an eloquent endorsement of President Bush's leadership came out swinging hard against Miers within an hour of President Bush's announcement of her nomination to the Supreme Court. It's pretty clear from all Frum wrote on the subject that he's had a voodoo doll of Miers sitting on his desk for a long time, just waiting to stick in the pins.

Why?

Speechwriters at the White House have to clear every word and phrase through a complex staffing mechanism. Miers was the controller of that staffing process as Staff Secretary. Later, as Deputy Chief of Staff Frum's work would have had to pass her approval before going forward. Frum left before Miers became White House Counsel, but I can tell you from my own experience in the Reagan White House, the Counsel's Office has always frustrated speech writers with their insistence on legalese wording rather than political rhetoric that is usually more clear and persuasive.

Frum no doubt influenced many at National Review, where his diary, or blog is published and at the Weekly Standard, published by fellow Miers opponent, Bill Kristol. Frum continues to fume that Miers should no longer be White House Counsel and should be shown the curb along with half the cabinet in a conservative version of Nixon's Saturday night massacre.

In Frum We Trust?

During this sad imbroglio we were told that it was not good enough to trust President Bush, who knew Miers well and had counted on her help in nominating and confirming a stellar batch of conservative justices to the federal bench. A seat on the Supreme Court was too important to leave it to trust. Yet, the same folks who insisted on that standard as one of their principles in opposing Miers seemed to implicitly trust Frum, Kristol and the other Miers opponents without any question as to their motives or background.

If it came to a choice, I would place my trust and loyalty in President Bush, the man I twice voted for, over Frum who I respect, but who may have other motives that I do not share. It's time to move forward and work on advancing the agenda that President Bush has laid out and Frum, Kristol et. al. have endorsed. But in the future, keep in mind that dissent is not always so firmly founded on principle as it may appear to be.