The Miers nomination

I admit to have been pretty buried in the Tom DeLay indictment issue, to the extent of ignoring most if not all other news. The reaction of the more strident members of the conservative right, and increasingly not-so-strident factions to the nomination is fascinating.

I am a Conservative Republican, though some may question me on my DeLay opinions, who leans toward pragmatic efforts to achieve the desired outcomes. I did my time in the politics, and earned my stripes having been described by my friends and enemies as “to the right of Attila the Hun.”

That said, I want successful outcomes not necessarily an “in your face battle” that could fail. I am still studying Miers and her nomination. But I find analysis by Varifrank to be compelling.

There are times that the Conservative movement, in an effort to make a decisive statement, loses sight of the outcome desired.

Do you want to change the court? Or do you want to “Stick it to the Liberals?”

You may not be able to achieve the first objective by pursuing the second.

At one point in my political career, I found myself at odds with the “true believers” of the conservative movement in my state. It wasn’t because of my voting record, or my position on the issues. It was because I didn’t step forward an join a public effort on a particularly controversial issue. In politics, you pick your fights to win in the end.

It is outcomes that matter, not the rhetoric of the moment.