Conservatives lose patience
Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader: The most curious criticism from conservatives upset about President Bush's choice for a second Supreme Court seat is that he failed to select a judge with strong intellectual credentials.
But Bush campaigned as an anti-intellectual, against the brainiac images of Al Gore and John Kerry. The president makes clear that he is guided by faith and his guts. He tries to look into people's souls rather than get into their heads.
Bush has shunned experts in many disciplines to heed the advice of his cronies who run the government.
Scientific expertise on issues as far-ranging as the environment and stem-cell research has been ignored. Skilled diplomats and military leaders have been demoted, fired or punished for giving him diverse advice on the Iraq war. Budget experts are ordered not to give the true costs of his proposals.
To the Bush administration -- grounded in the certainty and rightness of its own causes -- any clash of ideas is obsolete.
Fueling the fires
Still, it is understandable that some conservatives would feel betrayed by Bush's nomination of longtime friend and White House counsel Harriet Miers. GOP political domination was fueled by conservative magazines, think tanks and talking points. Social conservatives provided the votes, but intellectual conservatives outlined the government strategies, such as tax cuts and Social Security reform.
But the ferocity of these unprecedented conservative attacks on Bush seems to indicate long-term frustration and even disdain.
How could they have been really happy with a big-spending, big-government, deficit-hiking, overborrowing, nation-building Republican administration?
The contortions of reason to support Bush and the awkward silences when they couldn't now seem just part of a strategy aimed at getting a chosen one on the high court.
Stubborn and loyal to his friends, Bush is unlikely to withdraw Miers' nomination, as some conservatives hope. So, what to do now?
Well, there's little downside to outright challenging Bush, whose approval ratings are sinking while key aides and GOP congressional leaders are bogged down in scandals.
Outraged conservatives could try holding these people accountable for a change or work to raise ethical standards for the executive and legislative branches.
What an intellectual challenge that would be.