Given the way the nomination of Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court has been generally welcomed by Congressional moderates and accepted by many Democratic liberals, the official news as reported by The Hill should come as no surprise:
The Gang of 14’s centrist Democratic and Republican senators met and gave preliminary approval yesterday to Harriet Miers as President Bush’s nominee to replace Justice Sandra Day O’Connor on the Supreme Court.
Emerging from a meeting at the offices of Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said, “This nomination didn’t set off any alarm bells with any of us.�
The significance of this provisional endorsement, though presented in a low-key fashion, could be huge, for it means that unless damning evidence emerges during the Judiciary Committee’s as-yet unscheduled confirmation hearings the nominee is unlikely to be filibustered, and a party-line vote would mean confirmation. A party-line vote is far from assured because conservatives have not welcomed the nomination.
Yesterday’s meeting was the Gang’s first formal opportunity to discuss Miers, and several of the senators said they are still early in the process and under no commitment to vote for the nominee.
Right now this is a tough one to call, given the opposition by more traditional conservatives to this nomination. Could it be that she’ll eventually withdraw her name? Or would it be withdrawn? Or — as it seems now — will many in Congress figure a fight over a different nominee here could mean worse consquences, pepper her with tough questions, then confirm her? No matter what, a filibuster on Miers now seems unlikely.