BREAKING NEWS!

Harriet Miers has withdrawn her nomination! More soon.

Miers withdraws her nomination to Supreme Court (READ THIS ONE!!)

Q & A: Miers Withdraws; What's Next?

Embattled Supreme Court nominee bows out

Miers joins 34 on list of failed Supreme Court nominees

Harriet Miers, We Hardly Knew Ye

We are setting up a special edition of Square Talk Radio tonight to discuss this topic. I hope you will all tune in then.

Below is the text of the letter from Harriet Miers to President Bush, withdrawing her name from consideration as a justice of the United States Supreme Court.

Dear Mr. President:

I write to withdraw as a nominee to serve as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States. I have been greatly honored and humbled by the confidence that you have shown in me, and have appreciated immensely your support and the support of many others. However, I am concerned that the confirmation process presents a burden for the White House and our staff that is not in the best interest of the country.
As you know, members of the Senate have indicated their intention to seek documents about my service in the White House in order to judge whether to support me. I have been informed repeatedly that in lieu of records, I would be expected to testify about my service in the White House to demonstrate my experience and judicial philosophy. While I believe that my lengthy career provides sufficient evidence for consideration of my nomination, I am convinced the efforts to obtain Executive Branch materials and information will continue.

As I stated in my acceptance remarks in the Oval Office, the strength and independence of our three branches of government are critical to the continued success of this great Nation. Repeatedly in the course of the process of confirmation for nominees for other positions, I have steadfastly maintained that the independence of the Executive Branch be preserved and its confidential documents and information not be released to further a confirmation process. I feel compelled to adhere to this position, especially related to my own nomination. Protection of the prerogatives of the Executive Branch and continued pursuit of my confirmation are in tension. I have decided that seeking my confirmation should yield.

I share your commitment to appointing judges with a conservative judicial philosophy, and I look forward to continuing to support your efforts to provide the American people judges who will interpret the law, not make it. I am most grateful for the opportunity to have served your Administration and this country.

Most respectfully,
Harriet Ellan Miers
The PresidentThe White HouseWashington, D.C. 20502

Comments: Oh boy. Here we go again.

Here is where she blew her cover on Roe v. Wade. She stated

"...the more I think about these issues(abortion and other religious matters) the more self determination makes the most sense."

This lady just lost me as a supporter, but that doesn't really matter now.

Here is a note from a Q and A at the NPR. (Linked above)

What do you make of the fact that access to White House documents keeps coming up in the confirmation process?

It was an issue when President Bush nominated John Bolton as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and it was an issue in the Miers nomination.
It turned out that the brewing fight for documents provided the perfect exit strategy for a nomination that was already in trouble. Conservative columnist Charles Krauthammer, who was a Miers opponent, laid all this out two weeks ago, saying this would be an excuse for a gracious exit for Miers. The fight over Bolton's documents was between the White House and Democrats. The difference in Miers' case was that Republicans also wanted access to those documents. The real reason Miers withdrew was that she did not have enough support among Republican senators. She had many private meetings with them this week and she was not impressive or forthcoming enough to prompt more than four of them to come out in support of her. (They were Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Orrin Hatch of Utah, and the two Texas senators -- John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchison.)

It seems that Miers was losing support fast within the senate and President Bush was no longer confident that she could be confirmed. Also her thoughts on overturning Roe v. Wade have become distorted at best. We now have documents that say she is for overturning it and she is for upholding it. Not the kind of solid pro-life conservative person we want on the Supreme Court.

A big hat tip to SecDef Yeah, yeah, you told me so. :-)

Hugh Hewitt isn't happy.

Michelle Malkin is relieved.

Look for more views tomorrow on Square Talk Radio.

Travis