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James Dobson's Strange Explanation

October 12, 2005

Karl Rove's kidney stones and possible impending indictment continue to take a toll on President Bush' ability to spin situations favorably. As the flap over the nomination of Harriet Miers as Supreme Court Justice grows bigger, Bush really put his foot in it today. When asked why he picked Harriet, the president replied that "People are interested to know why I picked Harriet Miers. They want to know Harriet Miers’ background. They want to know as much as they possibly can before they form opinions. And part of Harriet Miers’ life is her religion."

That one statement has opened the door for intense questioning of Miers about her religion and how it might affect her vote. He picked her because of her religion? That's not going to play well with the majority of Americans who don't like the idea of anyone imposing his religious views on the rest of us (e.g., the Schiavo debacle). Bush got backed into a corner when James Dobson blabbed to the media that he had information about Miers from Karl Rove "that he probably shouldn't have." Naturally, the Judiciary Committee wants to know what kind of back room deal was struck between Dobson and Rove, and what this inside information consists of. The leading theory? That Rove promised Dobson that Miers would vote to overturn Roe vs. Wade. Dobson denies it, but many senators aren't buying it.

On a radio show being broadcast Wednesday, Dobson said he discussed Miers with Rove on Oct. 1, two days before her nomination was announced. Dobson said Rove told him "she is from a very conservative church, which is almost universally pro-life," but denied he had gotten any assurances from the White House that she would vote to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion.

Dobson said Rove told him that Miers had been a member of Texas Right to Life. White House press secretary Scott McClellan said she was not a member of the organization "that I'm aware of." "My understanding is that she attended some events, some fund-raising events that they had," McClellan said.

Miers bought a $150 ticket to a 1989 fund-raising dinner for another anti-abortion group — Texans United for Life — according to the president of the group, now called the Texans for Life Coalition.

Sen. Patrick Leahy, ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, said: "The rest of America, including the Senate, deserves to know what he and the White House know. We don’t confirm Justices of the Supreme Court on a wink and a nod. And a litmus test is no less a litmus test by using whispers and signals," the Vermont senator said. "No political faction should be given a monopoly of relevant knowledge about a nomination, just as no faction should be permitted to hound a nominee to withdraw, before the hearing process has even begun."

Amen, Brother Leahy.

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