Harriet Miers withdrew her nomination to the Supreme Court Thursday morning.
Citing concern over Judiciary Committee requests for documents regarding Miss Miers' work at White House counsel that the Administration had deemed privileged, President Bush announced he had "reluctantly" accepted her decision.
According to the Washington Post, "Miers told the president in a letter of withdrawal that she was 'concerned that the confirmation process presents a burden for the White House and our staff that is not in the best interests of the country.'"
The Miers nomination stirred up controversy from the beginning - on the Right and the Left - with both sides saying they didn't know enough about her to be able to make an educated decision on what type of Justice she would be.
Upon the announcement of the Miers withdrawal, Human Events Editor Terence Jeffrey issued this statement:
"Harriet Miers did the right thing to withdraw her nomination. Now President Bush needs to choose a Supreme Court nominee with unquestionable qualifications and a demonstrated and consistent record as a constitutional originalist. There are a number of judges on the federal appellate courts who fit that description. If the nomination of one of these known and established orginalists sparks an intense confirmation battle with Senate Democrats, so be it. The Constitution is worth it."
The Miers withdrawal came one day after Concerned Women for America, the nation’s largest public policy women’s organization, issued a press release calling for the nomination to be withdrawn.
Echoing the sentiments of many activists on the Right, Beverly LaHaye, founder and chairman of CWA said, “We really wanted to back the President, and sought evidence to support this nomination, but we find this Supreme Court nominee unqualified and her record troubling. However, we look forward to a nomination that we can whole-heartedly endorse.”
