Miers Withdraws

No SCOTUS for you!

"Harriet Miers withdrew her nomination for the Supreme Court this morning after weeks of increasingly heated debate over the depth of her conservative beliefs and her qualifications to fill the seat to be vacated by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. Ms. Miers, President Bush's White House counsel, told the president in a letter this morning that she feared that the confirmation process "presents a burden for the White House and our staff that is not in the best interest of the country." She said that even though her long career offered enough basis for senators to consider her nomination, "I am convinced the efforts to obtain executive branch materials and information will continue." [NYT]

Here is the text of the letter she sent to Bush. [MSNBC]

More: [Tribune] [CNN] [MSNBC]

Basically, she is withdrawing (from her letter to Bush) because she "knows too much." She wants to "protect the independence of the Executive Branch." Right...She is afraid that the "Big Bad Senate" will ask for more documents and try to figure out who she is. How dare they ask who she really is, and where she stands on important issues! How dare they ask to find out what the President is doing!