10-27-2005, 05:50 AM
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#6 (permalink)
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Devoted
Donor
Location: New England
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And now, some of the speech:
Quote:
President George W. Bush's nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court, White House counsel Harriet Miers, abruptly withdrew from consideration on Thursday after fierce criticism from the right and the left about her credentials for the lifetime job.
Bush said in a statement he reluctantly accepted her withdrawal and would move in a timely manner to fill the vacancy left open by the pending retirement of Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.
In a letter to Bush released by the White House, Miers said she was concerned that the Senate confirmation process "presents a burden for the White House and our staff that is not in the best interest of the country."
Some opponents had mounted a campaign to force her withdrawal and some conservative senators had expressed doubts as to whether Miers was sufficiently conservative to move the divided nine-member high court firmly to the right.
Some Democrats were also skeptical about whether she was against a woman's right to abortion, a hugely divisive issue that could come before the Supreme Court.
As a reason for pulling out, Miers, 60, cited the need to maintain privacy of internal records of her White House service that members of Congress wanted to see but Bush wanted to keep confidential.
"I have been informed repeatedly that in lieu of records, I would be expected to testify about my service in the White House to demonstrate my experience and judicial philosophy," Miers wrote.
BUSH SHARES CONCERNS
"While I believe that my lengthy career provides sufficient evidence for consideration of my nomination, I am convinced the efforts to obtain Executive Branch materials and information will continue," she said.
Miers will stay on as White House counsel.
Bush, in his statement, said he understood and shared Miers' concern about the confirmation process.
"It is clear that senators would not be satisfied until they gained access to internal documents concerning advice provided during her tenure at the White House -- disclosures that would undermine a president's ability to receive candid counsel," he said.
A senior aide to Bush said the president "obviously was not happy about how the modern-day confirmation process has unfolded."
"His respect for her obviously has grown in the fact that she was able to set aside any personal ambition and put the presidency and the process on a higher plain," the aide said.
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a Tennessee Republican, said he respected Miers' decision.
"I look forward with anticipation to the president naming the next nominee quickly," he said.
The dispute over Miers' nomination coincided with mounting pressure at the White House over the possible indictment of a number of senior officials over the leak of the identity of a CIA operative whose husband criticized Bush's Iraq policy.
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I remember hearing last week that the "request for papers" (which was from two conservative senators, IIRC) was created in order to give an excuse for the White House to withdraw her.
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I can't read your signature. Sorry.
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