Democrats hold their fire on Miers

If your rivals are shooting themselves, don't stand in the way of the bullets.
LOS ANGELES TIMES
WASHINGTON -- For a town in which partisan warfare is daily background noise, there is an unusual silence these days on one side: Despite Republican discord over the Supreme Court nomination of Harriet E. Miers, Democrats have been holding their fire.
Nowhere is this more evident than on Capitol Hill, where the disclosure last week that Miers expressed anti-abortion views on a questionnaire as a Dallas City Council candidate years ago found most Democrats studiously avoiding confrontation on what is usually a fire-hot controversy. Regardless of their personal views on abortion, few publicly expressed strong reactions to Miers' answers.
"Do you have a gut reaction to the questionnaire?" a reporter pressed Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada at his weekly news conference on the party's priorities.
"No," Reid replied, and asked for a new question.
Odd silence
After years of preparing for conflagration with Republicans over a Supreme Court nomination, the Democrats' silence on the Miers nomination may seem odd.
"It's the dog that didn't bark," said Don Stewart, communications director for Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, perhaps Miers' most ardent supporter in the Senate. "I'm still waiting for the Democrats to come out and start mischaracterizing her."
Several factors help explain why Democrats are generally keeping mum.
First, there is the unusual spectacle of Republicans -- once lauded for their discipline -- wounding each other. Part of the GOP's right wing is in open revolt against a nominee they find disappointing, with some conservative commentators calling for her withdrawal.
"For Democrats, this is the rubbernecking phase," said Luke Albee, former chief of staff to Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the ranking Democrat on the chamber's Judiciary Committee. "Democrats are watching slack-jawed as problems mount for Republicans."
Few expect President Bush to withdraw Miers' nomination; such a move would be uncharacteristic of him. But at least some unhappy conservatives are hoping that continuing public pressure will cause her to step aside of her own accord.
Simple political rule
So far, Democrats aren't playing a major role in the criticism of Miers because of a simple political calculation: If your opponents are shooting themselves, don't stand in the way of the bullets.
"This time, the president has picked a fight with the right wing, who wanted an extremist named to the court and they are not happy with Harriet Miers," said a Democratic leadership aide, who like Capitol Hill staff members interviewed for this story spoke only on the condition of anonymity when discussing party strategy.
"For right now the best thing the Democrats can do is to let this process play out," the aide added.