Harriet Miers

Schumer Reports: Tough Guys Don't Make Wives Cry

Senator Charles Schumer may not have stopped the nomination of Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court, bu  read more »

Schumer Reports: Tough Guys Don’t Make Wives Cry

Senator Charles Schumer thinks that the Alito hearings prove his point: Ideology matters.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Senator Charles Schumer thinks that the Alito hearings prove his point: Ideology matters.

Senator Charles Schumer may not have stopped the nomination of Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court, bu  read more »

Lafsky’s Last Laugh: Secret Legal Blogger Says ‘I’m Opinionista!’

Type it, type it! Melissa Lafsky at work.
Melanie Flood
Type it, type it! Melissa Lafsky at work.

“I’m pretty nervous,” said Melissa Lafsky, a now formerly anonymous blogger who th  read more »

WOOD WAR VI

Who's winning the battle of the front pages?

Not to be all non-provincial or anything, but didn't something happen yesterday with like the Supreme Court or something?

The Daily News at least admits the Harriet Miers story exists, but gives the page over to another creepy, non-news helping of Gotti family pastafazool. Aw, Junior visited the Dapper Don's tomb! Such a good son! And did he stop by the tombs (junkyards, gravel pits, whatever) of all the guys Papa whacked?

The Post leaves Miers off the cover entirely and fronts another homewrecking-clergyman sex scandal. It's almost enough for a win--better a stooge for the Bush family than a shill for the Gottis--but America's Oldest Continuously Published Daily Newspaper blows it by once again crowding up the page with extraneous crap. A full-length celeb photo? Did Col Allan poach a layout designer from Us Weekly?  read more »

Winner: Daily News Overall standings: Daily News 4, New York Post 2

Miers Withdraws

She's out. Obviously, it was about the separation of powers:

"It is clear that senators would not be satisfied until they gained access to internal documents concerning advice provided during her tenure as the White House - disclosures that would undermine a president's ability to receive candid counsel," says Bush in a statement. "Harriet Miers' decision demonstrates her deep respect for this essential aspect of the constitutional separation of powers - and confirms my deep respect and admiration for her."  read more »

We'll miss her blog.

The New Greenspan

Reuters reports that President Bush is about to announce Ben Bernanke, chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisors as Alan Greenspan's replacement. His resume doesn't look quite like Harriet Miers', and Brad DeLong, Berkeley economist who worked for Clinton, likes the appointment.
 read more »

Cronyism on the Court? What a Shocking Thought!

Obviously, the best way to be confirmed for a seat on the Supreme Court is to be like Chief Justice  read more »

Executive Privilege: We've Heard It Before

When Harriet Miers was announced as the latest nominee to the Supreme Court, George W.  read more »

Kate Moss' Best Shot At Recovering Status: Frowzy Miers Blue

Is she totally tragic or wildly groovy? Is she so out that she’s in?  read more »

Kate Moss' Best Shot At Recovering Status: Frowzy Miers Blue

She
Getty Images
She

Is she totally tragic or wildly groovy? Is she so out that she’s in?  read more »

The Trouble With Harriet

A bright yellow Lamborghini—the prize in a raffle to benefit the Columbus Citizens Foundation—il  read more »

Modest Abilities Trump Modesty of Inclination

My first reaction after President George W.  read more »

The Trouble With Harriet

Justice Antonin Scalia, who helped the Federalists get their start, arrives at a reception with financial journalist Maria Bartiromo on Oct. 8.
Getty Images
Justice Antonin Scalia, who helped the Federalists get their start, arrives at a reception with financial journalist Maria Bartiromo on Oct. 8.

A bright yellow Lamborghini—the prize in a raffle to benefit the Columbus Citizens Foundation&  read more »

In Today's Observer

Ben and I revisit the story of the Manhattan Twelve, the roundtable of conservative scholars whose decision to "suspend" their support of President Nixon in 1971 bears an intriguing resemblance the rebellion brewing among conservatives incensed by the Harriet Miers Nomination. (Hat tip to the New York Post's Ryan Sager who first noted the analogy, and whose book about the future of the Republican Party is forthcoming.)

Anna Schneider-Mayerson plumbs the reaction of the Federalist Society, the cozy klatch of conservative lawyers and scholars that has spent years building a pipeline to the federal judiciary, and finds widespread disenchantment with the Miers nomination. In the best quote category, Richard Epstein, the libertarian firebrand and legal scholar, fumes: "This woman comes from nowhere and has never been educated."

And, tying the ribbon around The Observer's Miers package, Simon Doonan hails the Texas blonde as an unlikely icon of 2006 spring fashion chic.

Jason Horwitz examines Mayor Bloomberg's growing anxiety about his legacy as he finishes up his first term in office and sprints toward his second.  read more »

On the opinion pages, Joe Conason salutes Mohammed ElBaradei, director of the International Atomic Energy Agency and this year's recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.

And Niall Stanage looks forward to the drama of a Clinton-Pirro battle for U.S. Senate.

Snarls From Right Wing Greet Bush's Nominee

Just the other day my friend Ken Mehlman, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, sent me  read more »

Snarls From Right Wing Greet Bush’s Nominee

George W. Bush.
Hai Knafo
George W. Bush.

Just the other day my friend Ken Mehlman, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, sent me  read more »

A Puzzle For Chuck and Hillary

Their "No" votes on Roberts positioned them for a hard line on a more conservative nominee.

Now Bush has nominated a loyalist, White House counsel Harriett Miers, to replace Sandra Day O'Connor. Do Chuck and Hillary fight the fight they'd prepared for, or claim victory and vote "Yes," arguing that the threat of a confirmation fight did the trick in warding off ideologues?  read more »