EckerNet.Com

My goodness. Probably the best news I could receive this morning. Miers has withdrawn herself from consideration for SCOTUS.

Under withering attack from conservatives, President Bush ended his push to put loyalist Harriet Miers on the Supreme Court Thursday and promised a quick replacement. Democrats accused him of bowing to the \”radical right wing of the Republican Party.

Now hopefully the President actually selects a nominee that reflects the fact that we control Congress. There are a whole series of candidates that conservatives would find acceptable. And I think most that were part of the anti-Mier-pick crowd would be willing to support the president on any of them.

The rift in the part was deep. And I wonder how quickly and how completely it will heal. Certainly, many were shocked and hurt by the fact that the White House could so easily dismiss it\’s greatest supporters as elitists and sexists. The mud-slinging by some who supported Miers was a little surprising.

How quickly will some on the \”anti-Miers\” side let bygones be bygones? Certainly, most conservatives will support the president. But will they do it with the same zeal and persistence that has marked his base in the past? Or will they remain ever vigilent and wary that they will be betrayed again?

Certainly a good SCOTUS pick will go a long way in satisfying many of his former critics. Illegal immigration is another area where atonement can easily be done.

But for now the focus should be on the next SCOTUS pick. Then we heal the party in preparation for 2006 and 2008.