CSTNews

President Bush proved with his recent Supreme Court appointment that he should submit himself for a total spinal replacement. His backbone has gone soft. While he is willing to fight terrorists on the other side of the world, he is not willing to fight Republican and Democrat liberals in the U.S. Senate to fulfill his campaign promise.
   
Bush promised Americans that he would remake the Supreme Court in the image of Scalia and Thomas, and that prospect was worth fighting for, so conservatives have been waiting for five years. We put up with Bush’s big government, playing both sides of the homosexual marriage issue, massive failure at the borders, and snooping on U.S. citizens “since after all, we are fighting a war.” 
   
We even accepted, reluctantly, the appointment of John Roberts to the Court. We were sure that the next appointment would be a rock-solid conservative with a track record  although knowing that such an appointment would mean a bloody donnybrook with liberals in both parties. We were wrong. We got a female crony instead with the Harriet Miers  appointment. All right, a Christian female crony, but still a crony.   
   
Justice Hecht, a very conservative Texas judge who goes to the same church Miers does (and who has dated her from time to time) did make a disturbing comment on CBS. He said that Miers’ commitment to her evangelical church “shapes the kind of person that she is. [That’s good!] It doesn’t shape her view on cases. [That’s bad!] In fact, almost the opposite.” [That’s really bad!]
   
I want to know how a person’s important beliefs cannot be considered in all decisions, legal or personal. Will she not ask, “Is this legal? Is it just? Is it moral? Is this in the best interest of America?” I hope she would not give consideration to what international courts have decided!
   
Furthermore, Miers seems to be a lady of principle since her church (of 25 years) consisting of 1200 in attendance recently split over pastoral leadership, church music, and other matters and she has taken the side of the split (of about 150) that is meeting in a hotel. She recently called her long-time pastor, who was recently fired and encouraged him.  So, I appreciate her willingness to bear the stigma of a church split in order to be faithful to her pastor.
   
As conservatives, we relished the battle that would ensue over a real conservative nominee since liberals cannot win in a confrontation with informed conservatives on the major issues of our time. But alas the battle did not come. Bush blinked and decided that he could not win or the bruising would be too much discomfort. Bush went wobbly.
   
The day after Saddam Hussein seized Kuwait, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher called President Bush the First and warned, “Don’t go wobbly on me, George!” He had wobbled on his “no tax” pledge, but to his credit, he followed Thatcher’s advice regarding Hussein. It is also interesting that the breaking of his no tax pledge is the negative that will always haunt him and his Gulf War policy is the only positive during his administration.
   
Bush the Second has wobbled on the Supreme Court appointment of Harriet Miers, yet she may turn out to be as conservative as Thomas or Scalia. After all, she is a member of a conservative, even “fundamentalist,” Dallas church. To her credit, she taught primary children’s Sunday school, made coffee for others, and even tithes 15% of her income! Now hear me well: Miers is probably a very good Christian and able attorney but that is not good enough. I would rather have an informed Constitutional conservative justice who was not a Christian than a Christian who may be weak or uninformed about important issues. 
   
Furthermore, Miers was highly recommended by Senator Harry Reid and that alone should cause bells to go off, lights to flash, and sirens to whine all over Washington. I would think the President would say, “Wait a minute! Why is Harry Reid recommending this lady for a position on the U.S. Supreme Court?”
   
Even if Miers turns out to be a solid conservative, this appointment shows that Bush, like his daddy, won’t keep his word. There are many judges, men and women, who have been lifetime conservatives whom Bush passed over. A sane person asks, “Why?” Those conservative judges have been in the battle, and have the scars to show for their faithfulness to “the cause.” Miers, who may turn out to be a good justice, has not been in the battle. She does not have a record, but Bush asks us to “trust him.” I’m sorry, but this is too important to trust anyone.
   
Newt Gringrich said that we can trust Miers to be a conservative because Bush appointed her then he added, “the president has stayed remarkably true to conservative principles on every major decision he has made since winning the Republican primary.” Wow, that should tell us all we need to know about Gringrich.
   
I will accept Harriet Miers as a fellow-believer, but she must be replaced by a battle-hardened conservative nominee. Then Bush can get his spinal cord transplant and stand tall during a bloody, bruising battle in the Senate. We can win but we need a leader with backbone to lead the way.

Tags: politicians