The Ultimate Betrayal?

Conservatives are going off the deep end over the Miers nomination. They need to calm down.

Bill Kristol was one of the first to express how depressed and demoralized he is over Bush's choice. Since yesterday morning, the conservative drumbeat against Miers has grown louder.

BUSH BETRAYED HIS BASE. BUSH BETRAYED HIS BASE.

Personally, I find it annoying.

I admit that little is known about Miers. So, how can conservatives be so sure that she is a poor nominee?

The fact is they don't know. That's what is at the root of the outcry. Conservatives want concrete guarantees. For them, "Trust me" doesn't cut it.

Frankly, I think they are behaving like Pavlov's dogs. After the Souter debacle, I can understand why conservatives are reacting this way. Of course, they would have preferred a familiar nominee. They've been spooked.

I know I'm in the minority here, but I don't think Bush is appeasing the Dems by nominating Miers. I don't think he's acting out of weakness.

Unlike poor Bill Kristol, I can honestly say that I'm not depressed or demoralized at all.

I believe that Bush knows Miers. This morning at his press conference, Bush said he is confident that Miers shares his judicial philosophy.

From the Washington Post:

"I know her heart. She knows exactly the kind of judge I'm looking for," he said at a morning news conference, noting that she had helped conduct the search that led to the appointment of Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. She will be "exactly" what he is looking for, Bush said several times.

Asked by a reporter if she was "the most qualified" person he could find in the country, he said, "Yes, otherwise I would not have" named her.

The questioning at the Rose Garden news conference centered not around Democratic reaction to the appointment of Miers yesterday, but to the reaction of conservatives, many of whom expressed open disappointment with Miers's lack of a judicial track record or known philosophy about the role of the judiciary.

Reporters noted several times that a number of conservative commentators had questioned passing over some of the more prominent, proven conservative judges in favor of Miers.

"I'm interested in people who will be strict constructionists. . . . There should be no doubt in anyone's mind what I believe," Bush said. "Harriet Miers shares that philosophy."

Bush and his administration have confidence in Miers. Although that doesn't pacify the doubts that conservatives have, it should send a chill through liberals.

My only concern about Miers is her age. I would have preferred a younger nominee. Other than that, I'm not worried.

In the end, it all comes down to trust. While understandably wary, I think conservatives need to give Bush the benefit of the doubt. Yes, a great deal is at stake. No kidding.

Does anyone really think that Bush and members of his administration would allow their legacy to be haunted by a Souter-like ghost?

If so, think again.