Call to Bloggers: Take Your Stand on Miers

I'm accepting The Truth Laid Bear: Call to Bloggers and taking a stand on Miers.

I support the Miers nomination.

I've heard a lot of arguments pro and con, but for me it comes down to two issues: 1) Is she qualified? 2) Did the president pick her?

1) That's not "is she the most qualified person we can imagine?" It's not "did she attend an Ivy League university and clerk for the Supreme Court?" It's not "does she take the 'right' stand on issues that are important to me?" It's "does she meet rational standards of ability to handle the questions posed to the Supreme Court?" Her background and experience say, "yes."

2) That's not "trust Bush." It's that the same Constitution Miers' opponents say they hold so dear gives the president -- Washington, Jackson, Roosevelt, Clinton, Bush -- the authority to pick Supreme Court Justices. If the nominees are qualfied (see #1 above), then they should be confirmed. Ginsburg, Souter, White and O'Connor were all qualfied, whether we like the outcome or not. If David Frum, Ann Coulter, George Will and the rest make the investment and take the risk to run for president, I will consider them for the office. If they win, they get to choose the Supreme Court nominees for seats that open during their administration. The idea that they can strong-arm the elected president (whoever he is) into making their pick is beneath them.

I want to get back to the written text of the Constitution as much as the next person, but if Republicans go back to it by violating it, there will be nothing to go back to.