Monday, May. 04, 2009

Harriet Miers

George W. Bush's nomination of White House counsel Harriet Miers drew charges of cronyism from the very beginning. Nearly as soon as her name was put forward in 2005, Miers' lack of judicial experience, not to mention her lack of expressed views on constitutional law, made her a target of fierce criticism. Right-wing activists didn't feel she was conservative enough, and they let Bush know. Opponents, dismayed that the President had passed over a host of more qualified jurists in favor of his personal lawyer from his days as Texas governor, let the press know. Just 25 days after Miers' nomination, he withdrew her name. The seat eventually went to the far more experienced and conservative Samuel Alito.