Looks like Arlen Specter, chairman of the Judiciary Committee is very interested in what the White House, more specifically Karl Rove, told FOF frontman James (Squarepants) Dobson to allay his fears about supreme court nominee Harriet Miers and earn at least a lukewarm endorsement from Dobson.
Courtesy of the New York Times and as seen on “This Week” with George Stephanopolous, Dobson said in his radio address last week that he had been told things he probably shouldn’t know, but he couldn’t divulge them, and what he had been told convinced him to support the nomination of Harriet Miers to the SCOTUS.
Specter is quoted as saying:
In response to a later question, Mr. Specter added, “If there are back-room assurances and if there are back-room deals and if there is something which bears upon a precondition as to how a nominee is going to vote, I think that’s a matter that ought to be known by the Judiciary Committee and the American people.”
Dobson acknowledged talking to Rove before making his statement.
It’s fun to see the growing chorus of suspicion surrounding this administration and Karl Rove in particular. The president is clearly using code language to calm the fears of evangelical christians, and it certainly appears as if Rove crossed another ethical line in making Dobson privvy to information that the rest of us apparently don’t have the right to know.
Hopefully it will be a fun week watching Rove circle the drain.
It’s interesting to note that while Republicans insisted on making John Robert’s Catholicism a non-issue, they are clearly very excited about sharing Harriet Miers’ evangelical conversion with everyone.
Oh that visual: Karl and Dobson…pillow talk. Ewww.
This is an important story and I, for one, hope they pull Dobson’s butt in before that committee under oath to spill what he knows.
This allegiance between Republicans and fundamental Christians is nothing short of creepy.
is the spawn from the mating of secular fundamentalism, known as neoconservativism with religious fundamentalism, known as evangelical Christianity.
It turns out the Mark of the Beast is an elephant.
Fabulous, Laura, just fabulous!! LMAO. . .I love how your mind works. I am really glad to see you out here putting up diaries, and sending forth zingers like that one. Good job
And bless your heart (I do pay attention)
Shirl
Thanks, Shirl. :0)
The response to the Miers nomination is the strangest thing I have seen in a long time. The dems are mostly sitting quietly by, which is wise–at this point it does not seem clear how best to throw the anvil, or even to whom to throw it. This together with Plamegate has the feel of a slow-motion train wreck of much of the Right. It is encouraging that Specter is not sheepishly following the admin; I am sure that as Judiciary Cmte chair, together with other members of the Cmte he can issue whatever subpoenas he sees fit relating to the Miers nomination.
It is hard to know what road the dems should take, because I feel Miers is not qualified, or at least she isn’t the MOST qualified woman he could find, and to me that demeans women. OTOH, if she withdraws or gets knocked down in committee, I worry about who he’ll nominate next, i.e. Priscilla Owens or Janice Rogers Brown. Just yuck.
To me, the writing on the wall is that Miers will vote like a wingnut, and I am surprised that the religious right is as upset as they are. I’m also surprised that the right-wing punditry is acting principled over her qualifications, but that’s another discussion. I think that the dems should oppose Miers, and fight the Rogers Brown or Owen battle if it comes. With the Plamegate/DeLay type stuff hitting the fan, I do not think W’s store of capital will improve.
is what happened to Harriet, what event occurred in her life to convert her from a moderate Southern Democrat into a radical fundy-con?
Was she passed over for a coveted power slot in the Democratic organization in Texas? Was it a personal issue — spurned romance, gender identity crisis? Was she shunted aside as “unimaginative and not in step with the times” by a liberal juggernaut? Was it something Ms. Ann Richards, the formidable former gob. of Texas, did or said? Is there a sin involved? Was it something Harriet ate (or drank for all you Kool-Aid enthusiasts)?
Someone should do some diggin’. If you know, please tell me.
Those dramatic conversion stories are very popular with born-again christians. They loved the story (true or not) of how the hard-drinking GW Bush saw God and became one of them. And boy does he use it. He has told at least two different versions of how he became born-again.
I agree with both your comment and Second Nature’s. The Dems should let the right stand around in a circle and shoot themselves over Miers. Besides, on the surface, she is a soft nominee with no record. That means the Dems won’t stand firm and oppose her on their own. They will unite for the fight on Rogers-Brown or Owens. That type of nomination violates the compromise.
We can’t expect a liberal nominee, but we have to hope for a non-idealogue.