Inside Bush's Brain

Jim Pinkerton supplies one of the better fly-overs of the Miers nomination, noting the difference between conservative and movement conservative. Bush wanted the former and was indifferent to the latter. Or maybe bored by it.

I picture Dubya, like any other hotshot CEO with an MBA and any kind of success behind them, impatient as hell with the vetting process and somewhat mystified by the conversations about judiciary philosophy. These guys always want to cut to the chase and get to the bullet points. I bet Harriet Miers was the only person involved in the nominating process who made a lick of sense to Bush. His big appointment decision tree clearly only has two levels -- do they understand the issues and can I trust them? Great, we're done here.

The details of getting Miers to the court are now just down to execution. Bush decided, now he expects his team to execute on his decision. But I truly think that Bush's CEO-think breaks down when confronted with the Senate Judiciary Committee TV extravaganza. Executive control of the process flies out the window there. In theory, Miers could unleash some faux pas every bit as debilitating as the Howard Dean rrrrrroaaaaaaar that sundered a chilly Iowa night and stopped his campaign cold.

This gets us right back to the trust issue. Bush obviously trusts this will not happen with Miers.

Comments

[Ruthless]

I have a wild, perverted imagination, but I can't imagine any faux pas of any magnitude.

[Crushinator]

Perhaps el Presidente nominated Harriet Miers to distract our attention from the troubles of Tom Delay.

[Sledge Hammer]

Trust me, I know what I'm doing!

[R C Dean]

But I truly think that Bush's CEO-think breaks down when confronted with the Senate Judiciary Committee TV extravaganza.

Of course, almost any human undertaking can be crushed if it comes between a Senator and a TV camera.

[mike]

A politician promises something during the campaign and does not delivier...I'm really shocked!!!

Any time a politician promises something during a campaign, odds are he/she is not going able to keep that commitment.
Of course I could be completely wrong, maybe Miers will turn out to be a "Scalia" type judge but I doubt it.
The President is politcally weak right now, so he had to pick a nominee that will be able to get through the confirmation process. I'm sure that having a nominee blocked from becoming a Justice on the Supreme Court is a terrible political blow for an administration.

[sage]

Crushinator,

That's exactly what I was thinking. I wonder if Bush knew he would be indicted again yesterday.

[Jennifer]

According to an article in "Editor and Publisher" and now linked on Fark, Miers was the one who briefed Bush on the infamous "Bin Laden determined to attack United States" memo. I would not say that reflects well upon her.

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001221205

[The Anti-Puritan]

Sledge Hammer, LOL.

On the subject of Howard Dean, what was the problem with that roar, anyway? Are presidential candidates supposed to be devoid of passion and exuberance? Do we need a Vulcan in the White House? Camille Paglia is right: The professional class in the United States, which includes most of our pundits, is emotionally repressed. That's why they were so put off by Dean's spontaneity.

[Douglas Fletcher]

Jesus, jennifer, we get the farking point already...

In theory, Miers could unleash some faux pas every bit as debilitating as the Howard Dean rrrrrroaaaaaaar that sundered a chilly Iowa night and stopped his campaign cold.

If all these hurricanes this year are any guide, I doubt God is feeling that generous lately. I look on Howie's roar as almost up there with 'you won't have Dick Nixon to kick around anymore', it's the kind of political treat that comes along so rarely that they're almost like Hope diamonds.

[The Anti-Puritan]

To clarify, Paglia has not, to my knowledge, explained the reaction to Dean's roar that way. That part is my idea.

[SR]

"According to an article in 'Editor and Publisher' and now linked on Fark, Miers was the one who briefed Bush on the infamous 'Bin Laden determined to attack United States' memo."

Does that make this appointment the equivalent of hush money?

[gwangung]

Hrm. Given Bush's past success as a businessman, I'd look askance at any description that tags him as a hotshot CEO.....

[JD]

Anti-Puritan: It was something late-night TV could make fun of, it was something weird, it was something other than "presidential", i.e. bland and expected. That's all it takes for people to point and say "Look at the freak!", and that's all it takes to sink your chances.

[JAT]

Gwan:

Fair cop. I should've spelled out the legend-in-their -own minds bent of far too many chief executives. Put that in a guy who has been elected President of the US of A twice and I can't see Bush getting thru 10 minutes of nominee talk.

[The Anti-Puritan]

JD:
It was something late-night TV could make fun of, it was something weird, it was something other than "presidential", i.e. bland and expected. That's all it takes for people to point and say "Look at the freak!", and that's all it takes to sink your chances.

We the People have no one to blame but ourselves for the bad choices we make in the voting booth. The campaign finance issue is a scapegoat.

[Crusader Rabbit]

Jeff --

A terrific analogy; CEO-think, indeed. But what happens when the steamroller of reality (i.e., Senate grandstanding, er, hearings) hits the CEO's plan? Same as in real life. The CEO is stopped cold. He can't just shout an order and get things done. How can this be happening to Me?? (Think of the "bad" robot in Robocop . . . How .. do .. I .. get .. up .. off .. the .. floor?)

By the time he recovers, Miers is out because in fact she's a freakin' born again right-wing Christian zealot! And then maybe the CEO's next level of support steps in and we get a REAL judicial candidate (say, Janice Rogers Brown?)

[Ruthless]

Cwewsader Wabbit,
This whole thing is like fantasy football, but, you are wight: who da hell could vote against Janice Wogers Bwown?

[Eric the .5b]

Feh. Can we leave the earnest claims that Dean's failure had absolutely nothing to do with finishing third in that primary and were really the result of one Kermit the Frog impression to, you know, the Deanites?

[madpad]

The CEO analogy is appropriate to an extent...if we're talking about Bush 3 years ago. But he's been prez for 5 freakin' years now. Doesn't he know better by now?

The sheer wonder of the Bush administration is how long they've continued to make decisions like a bunch of amateurs...devoid of serious consideration of the impact or any apparent awareness of the potential outcomes.

Fro Chirssakes, they're in hot water with their own party over a complete failure in leadership over fiscal responsibility AND a lame SCOTUS pick.

[Shem]

My God, putting Janice Rogers Brown up for nomination? How embarassing would it be for the President to lose two nominations in a row? All the Dems would have to do is utter the word "libertarian" and the media will immediately jump on how all libertarians supposedly want the end of all those entitlement programs that are so beloved to everyone.