Nearly half of Senate Republicans say they remain unconvinced that Harriet Miers is worthy of being confirmed to the Supreme Court, according to a survey conducted by The Washington Times.
As with the nomination of Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., the vast majority of senators say they will not announce their final decisions about the nomination until after Senate Judiciary Committee hearings, which are expected sometime next month.
What's troubling for President Bush, however, is that 27 Republican senators -- almost half of his party's members in the chamber -- have publicly expressed specific doubts about Miss Miers or said they must withhold any support whatsoever for her nomination until after the hearings.
A typical chilly response to the Miers nomination came from Sen. Elizabeth Dole, the North Carolina Republican who is one of Mr. Bush's most unwavering supporters.
Personally, I think Miers would be a vote on the Court, but certainly not a voice. Another Clarence Thomas, at worst, who votes "badly" but doesn't carry any influence, like Scalia (who may have been the first of this crowd to overreach, back in Bush v. Gore). So, if I have a concern now, it is that we will get Bork, redux, if Miers is rejected.
On the other hand, Bush is moving rapidly from "lame duck" to "albatross." I mean, he's lost Libby Dole, the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
So it's hard to know just what to think.
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