Geography Lesson

Robert Bork on Fallout from Miers Withdrawal: [WPost]

"Chicago, Ill.: Is it possible that the Miers withdrawal will embolden Democrats and New England Republicans to band together against the next well-qualified originalist or conservative nominee?
Robert Bork: I think it's highly likely that the northeast Republicans and quite possibly Sen. Specter will band together against a nominee that might be suspected of wanting to overturn Roe v. Wade. The northeast Republicans are often called moderates. They are in fact Democrats, if not in name, certainly in substance."

It would be interesting to see the new electoral map of the United States, if prevailing ideologies could have their sway. If anything else proved the point this week, the Republican Party, often famed for their discipline, formed their own form of a circular firing squad. Mr. Bush poked the eye of the Senate for treading too close to his "red line" of executive privilege. The Senate, who in a bi-partisan way, seemed willing to go forward with hearings for Harriet Miers, bristled at the stunning example of how an angry contingent of the Republican right-wing (often confused as simply being Mr. Bush's conservative base) had made their voices heard and made Mr. Bush cry "Uncle."
Mr. Bush can certainly find new ways to renew his affair with his base and may very well nominate someone else even more divisive who may make it harder for Democrats to keep as quiet and controlled as they did this time around. And this may indeed be the way we go. Mr. Bush has proven to be tenacious and surprising in his results when pushed into a corner.
With the indictment of I. Lewis Libby on charges of perjury, obstruction of justice and making false statements in the CIA Leak and Karl Rove left hanging as an exposed flank in the investigation, one could make a case that the time is ripe for Mr. Bush to show his famous turn around tenancity. But so far, he's left town, feigned a deaf ear to reporters and offered them some "head fakes".
So get ready. Who knows what else will be coming down the pike.

Other Stuff:

• "Scooter" Libby Resigns [ABC News]
• Bush looks for new nominee [Reuters]
• More subpoenas for Tom DeLay [Herald Times]