As the day wears on and I have become numb to all the irrational hand-wringing on The Corner, a scenario springs to mind. George Bush wants to put a strong conservative on the court, but he worries about the wimpy Senate Republicans, who have a habit of going soft when the going gets tough. The well-known conservatives touted by the righty bloggers and political junkies would be red meat not only to the Democrats on the judicial committee but probably to several Republicans (Can you spell Arlen Specter?).
So, he’s got this old colleague from his Texas days. Long evenings discussing the world over a bottle of Wild Turkey have given him an accurate bead on her conservative credentials, though her jobs have not required her to air them publicly. The lefty senators are waiting for those other names, so why not offer Harriet Miers. This would give Schumer, Reid, et. al., a feeling that they had succeeded, maybe even prompting an overt endorsement (Harry Reid has almost done this already).
Result: He gets a Luttig-Owens candidate without the baggage who gets confirmed easily. Skip ahead 15 years and you’ve got a solidly conservative court, Bush’s legacy. And a lot of righty bloggers with egg on their faces.
