KJ at No Government Cheese has posted this excellent essay with his answer to President Bush’s request to “Trust me” when it comes to the selection of Harriet Miers for Associate Justice of the Supreme Court.
Should we trust Bush on this subject? In a word: NO.
Think for a moment about the Supreme Court decisions of the last few years that most upset the conservative side of the blogosphere and punditry. A few come to mind quickly. McCain-Feingold. Kelo. The medical marijuana case. Where was Bush on these?
As KJ documents, Bush signed McCain-Fiengold even while saying he believed it might be unconstitutional and his administration defended the law when it came up for review by the Supreme Court. Next, the Bush Administration completely punted and took no position at all in Kelo v. City of New London. Finally, the Bush Administration was in the vanguard in seeking to strike down medical marijuana laws passed by soverign states. To add to all of this, there’s the matter of Jose Padilla, an American citizen arrested on American soil but denied access to a lawyer or any hope of a trial.
So should we trust Bush and let Miers pass ? KJ says no and so do I. First of all the record doesn’t call for it. More importantly, though, blind faith in political leaders is not a trait I find admirable in anyone. Bush is getting raked over the coals by his own base for this nomination and he deserves it.
Previous Posts:
Still More on Miers
Oppose Harriet Miers ? You’re Sexist
More On Miers
Solving The Miers Puzzle
Publius v. Harriet Miers
Why Harriet ?
Harriet Who ?
