Perkie, We Hardly Knew Ye

Well, that was short-lived; Perkie Kohl has withdrawn her nomination for Supreme Court Justice. So much for the hope that her hearings will deflect the heat from Fitzgerald's indictments. It will be interesting to see which consigliere gets nominated next.

It's already interesting watching everybody trying to take credit, if you will, for Perkie's withdrawal. The Wingnut™ Brigade thinks this is a victory for their cause, whereas the Senate feels their lack of confidence in her qualifications sealed the decision. And speaking of sealed, the official line cites the preservation of Executive Privilege as the primary reason - it seems shrubya and Perkie feel that her legal counsel is too sensitive to be viewed by mere Senators.

Of course the nomination was done in by all three factors - Perkie's own trifecta of sorts. But given that at least some of the Senate opposition came from Wingnut™ quarters (e.g. Brownback), I'm willing to call this one for the theocrat wackadoos. She's been anti-borked.

So, it should be an interesting week in the news cycle. The Guardian has collected some choice quotes on the withdrawal, with the inimitable Harry Reid weighing in thusly:

"The radical right wing of the Republican Party killed the Harriet Miers nomination."

They missed a great one, though, from Senator Kerry:

"If the president really believed Harriet Miers was the most qualified candidate for the Supreme Court, he made a terrible mistake refusing to fight for her and capitulating to the right wing."

Awww, snap! Americablog has compiled an even better list of quotes than the Guardian. And I must say - the headlines and stories this is generating are faboo!

Weakened Bush dodges fight with U.S. conservatives

WASHINGTON, Oct 27 (Reuters) - The withdrawal of Harriet Miers' Supreme Court nomination dealt another blow to a reeling White House on Thursday but short-circuited a political fight with conservative allies that a weakened President George W. Bush could not afford.

...But the president's fumbling of the nomination to replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, a crucial swing vote on the nine-member court on social issues like abortion and affirmative action, added to the image of a White House that had lost its political footing.

"Bush was not in a position to fight for Miers now because he has lost so much political support," said Richard Reuben, a law professor and Supreme Court expert at the University of Missouri.

...IMAGE IN TATTERS

"In the last six weeks, Bush's image of competence and control has been left in tatters," said Andrew Taylor, a professor at North Carolina State University. "The withdrawal of Miers is just another thing that makes Bush look like he's not in control."

..."Its a telling statement about the instability and ideological confusion facing the White House and the Republican Party," said Democratic Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, who unsuccessfully challenged Bush for the White House last year.

Things are only going to get crazier...