Reasonable people can debate the wisdom of nominating Harriet Miers for the high court. But the unrestrained rage by conservative pundits against George W. Bush poses a grave danger that goes far beyond that debate. The Left is licking its collective chops, trying to drive wedges wherever it can. After all, liberalism works by splitting the country: poor against rich, women against men, black against white. Trying to split the opposition is second nature to the Left.

Imagine you are Senator Chuck Hagel and just itching to be President. As a liberal Republican you get your talking points from the Washington Post and the New York Times. Unfortunately for you, it is the conservative base that provides a lot of the energy and money for the GOP. How do you exploit the assault on Bush to make yourself look good for the nomination? Simple ——— you vote against the Harriet Miers nomination, because ... She's not conservative enough for you!  That way you earn Brownie points with George Will and Ted Kennedy at the same time.

Multiply that wedge play by a hundred senators, and you get some idea of the havock being caused by the Great Pundit Revolt. Add another few dozen state governors and hundreds of influence peddlers, big donors, conservative think tanks and PACs, and you can see the damage that is now being whispered about in political circles all over the country. The Harriet Miers revolt may signal the end of an effective Bush presidency. No doubt Harry Reid is already talking to GOP Senators to split up the Bush legislative agenda.

On the Left, Hillary is having long phone calls with Bill on just how to exploit the conservative argument. How do I know? Well, I'm just going on thirteen years of Clinton watching, hoping that we won't have to see another twenty years of Clinton scandals and worse.  If you are really mad at George W. Bush, think President Hillary Clinton, 2008 — 2016, with Bill playing second fiddle.  The Conservative Revival is not a done deal. It can fade as quickly as it came.

There's even a national security angle to the Miers revolt. Only yesterday, the Iranian nuclear negotiator boasted that the US would never invade Iran to keep it from getting nukes, or from sending terrorists to other countries. The reason?  The United States is too split domestically about Iraq. Pay attention to this man, folks, because he and his fanatical regime are the biggest danger on the horizon. Our domestic arguments are analyzed all over the world.  

And that is the danger of the Great Pundit Revolt. No doubt some of the best minds of conservatism are genuinely distressed by the Harriet Miers nomination. Who knows — they may even have a point. My question to them, with all respect, is this: Can we afford to sink the boat just because the Captain is heading in a slightly unexpected direction?

James Lewis is a frequent contributor.