I have heard a lot of talk form conservatives about the Miers nomination and I disagree with the negative takes. How much damage to President Bush and the Republican Party would be done if the President nominated a succession of proven 'right wing' judges only to have the gang of 14 (and maybe some other Republicans) vote against them?  He would be weakened, and so would the party  — with the likelihood of losing seats and possible control of the senate. 

Can the President take this chance with people like Senators Chafee and Snow voting in the Senate?  I say nominations of these publicly conservative judges will fail because the liberal Republicans have to please their liberal voters and that would mean voting against these judges.
 
Take the case of Chafee of Rhode Island.  He is in a very liberal state and he is up for re—election next year.  If he were to vote for a publicly conservative judge he would very likely lose his seat, same goes for Snow and others.  Now Rhode Islanders vote for Chafee because of his Dad and because he does not upset them by taking right wing positions on most things.  I lived in RI for 25 years and the democratic party in RI is really dominant (that is why the state is in so much trouble); it is a one party state.  Chafee would be gone so you cannot blame him for taking the positions that he does.  In today's reality we cannot lose any republicans or create something for democrats and the MSM to attack the President and take back some moderates across the country.  President Bush cannot take these kinds of chances.  Everything that we conservatives have been fighting for would be lost.
 
Yet, based upon who the President has got installed in the lower courts, we know the President wants a more conservative Supreme Court.  So what do you do if you are the President?  The answer is nominate a true conservative who is difficult to attack and keep the votes of the liberal republicans, a brilliant move.  Ms. Miers seems to fit the bill.
 
This President has some very significant accomplishments, maybe more than any other president in our history.  And we should trust him to do the right thing.  He knows Ms. Miers better than anyone else.  It is time to rally around the President.  I urge you to support him and Ms. Miers and let him play the hand that he has been dealt.
 
Bill Kirk   10 10 05