10/7/2005 - MMFA Angry Over Accurate Representation of Republican Opinion on Meiers

Media Matters for America, in an article entitled "NY Times again ignored concerns from the right about Bush cronyism in Miers pick; Wash. Post followed suit," used out-of-context statements and tricky wording to dispute claims made from the papers when, in fact, the papers were more on target than MMFA.

http://mediamatters.org/items/200510070005

MMFA reports:

For the second time this week, The New York Times, in an October 7 article, ignored concerns expressed by conservatives and Republicans that President Bush was motivated by cronyism in nominating White House counsel Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court. Rather, the Times again attributed concerns that Miers is a Bush "crony" only to "the left." Similarly, The Washington Post reported on October 7 only that "Democrats" believe that Miers, Bush's former personal attorney, "may have been picked more for her loyalty to Bush over the years than for her intellectual heft or constitutional insights."

First, let us look very carefully at the articles. The New York Times article begins by stating that "Amid uproar among conservatives over the candidacy of Harriet E. Miers for the Supreme Court, one of the most ardent abortion opponents in the Senate said Thursday that Ms. Miers had not persuaded him to vote to confirm her." It continues:

But the selection has drawn intense criticism from both ends of the political spectrum, with the left labeling Ms. Miers a crony and the right complaining that Mr. Bush has squandered a chance to pick a candidate with demonstrable conservative credentials.

This is the sentence MMFA says the Times is wrong on. They give examples conservatives allegedly condemning Bush for picking Meiers for cronyism.

Well, they're wrong. NYTimes has it just right.

Let's look at the examples:

Some Republicans in Congress have expressed concern that cronyism influenced Bush's nomination of Miers. Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO) said on the October 6 edition of MSNBC's Scarborough Country that he "do understand" why the Bush administration has "taken this extraordinary step of naming someone who is just simply a 'FOG.' That is to say, a Friend of George." And former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS) questioned Bush's claim that Miers was "the best person I could find" for the Supreme Court. As the Post reported on October 6:

"Is she the most qualified person? Clearly, the answer to that is 'no,' " Lott said on MSNBC's Hardball , contradicting Bush's assertion. "There are a lot more people -- men, women and minorities -- that are more qualified, in my opinion, by their experience than she is."

Other Republican senators, including Sam Brownback (R-KS), George Allen (R-VA), and John Thune (R-SD), have voiced similar concerns about Miers's record. Brownback declared that "'[t]here is a lot of skepticism around about her," and that he is "not yet confident that Ms. Miers has a proven track record."

MMFA gives a few others but they are largely by little-leaguers on the political scale.

Now, let's get to work.

Starting with the Brownback statements that he isn't confident in Miers, read it in full context:

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Sam Brownback today commented on Harriet Miers, President Bush´s nominee to succeed Sandra Day O´Connor on the Supreme Court.

"I congratulate Harriet Miers on her nomination to be Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court and I look forward to learning at her confirmation hearing whether she possesses a firm commitment to the Framers' Constitution and to the rule of law," Brownback stated. "I am hopeful that Ms. Miers will be, as President Bush promised, a qualified nominee in the mold of Justices Scalia and Thomas who will strictly interpret the law and will not create law."

Brownback, a member of the Judiciary Committee and chairman of the Constitution Subcommittee, previously commented that he hoped the President would nominate a jurist who would strictly interpret the Constitution and who has a well-formed judicial philosophy and stated positions on important issues.

Brownback continued, "I have said in the past that I would like a nominee with a proven track record on important issues to all Americans and whose judicial philosophy is well-formed. I am not yet confident that Ms. Miers has a proven track record and I look forward to having these questions answered. President Bush has a long-standing working relationship with Ms. Miers and I trust the President knows her heart and her mind. Even so, the confirmation process has just begun and questions about her views on the Constitution need to be answered. As President Bush and President Reagan have commented in the past, in this regard I feel we must trust but verify."

Miers currently serves as Counsel to the President and previously served as President of the State Bar of Texas and as Co-Managing Partner of Locke, Liddell & Sapp in Dallas, Texas.

Brownback was not calling her a crony, but rather stating that he wished to see a track record on "important issues." MMFA took him out of context....

This entry will be finished by tonight, so come back later.