It was probably all over for Harriet Miers once the
Washington Post ran the following, which armed social
conservatives with more ammunition against her:
In an undated speech given in the spring of 1993 to the Executive Women of Dallas, Miers appeared to offer a libertarian view of several topics in which the law and religious beliefs were colliding in court.
"The ongoing debate continues surrounding the attempt to once again criminalize abortions or to once and for all guarantee the freedom of the individual women's [sic] right to decide for herself whether she will have an abortion," Miers said.
Those seeking to resolve such disputes would do well to remember that "we gave up" a long time ago on "legislating religion or morality," she said. And "when science cannot determine the facts and decisions vary based upon religious belief, then government should not act."
Any Republican that anti-gay snip David Frum would vehemently oppose is probably OK in my book. But the social right has done her in despite her strong history as a pro-business litigator, while liberals actually seemed to hope for a far worse alternative they could more easily demonize for fundraising purposes. They'll probably get their wish.
Update-Hypocrites Alert. NGLTF, which would
certainly have opposed Miers' confirmation (and that of any other
nominee who did not swear fealty to Roe v. Wade), is
shedding crocodile
tears over her withdrawal. Ditto
HRC, the large abortion-rights lobby that targets gay and
lesbian donors.