Miers' withdrawal

I have not yet checked out the blog reaction to the news of Miers' withdrawal, but I am sure that I will not be the only person to note that the White House followed the "save face" plan suggested Charles Krauthammer recently. (See here.) Here is just part of the White House statement.

Today, I have reluctantly accepted Harriet Miers' decision to withdraw her nomination to the Supreme Court of the United States. . .

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.

Now the reality is that nobody will be fooled. Bush and Miers were trounced not by Democrats, but by people who are conservatives first and Republicans second. But it is important to note that the defeat was not inevitable from the start, and became inevitable only after repeated self-inflicted wounds, in particular, the atrocious responses to the Judiciary Committee questionnaire.

Will the conservatives get the fire-breathing originalist that they are looking for? Who knows. But you can bet that the next nominee is going to have a hell of an impressive resume.