Human Events
by Robert Novak

10/31/05

Bush's blunder on Miers reflects his genuine disdain for Washington and the national government, still intense after nearly five years in office. That is basically why he reaches back to longtime friends and associates (cronies, say his critics) whom he trusts. Having been told that the conservative Republican base would not accept his friend Attorney General Alberto Gonzales on the court, Bush tried to sneak through Gonzales's successor as White House counsel. That Miers would pass muster inside the White House suggests how limited a group Bush consults. Cronyism is endemic with this president, and there is nobody close at hand to advise him otherwise... [editor's note: Much of this column was immediately superseded by the nomination of Alito, but some of it is still important; more interesting is the fact that Novak didn't know what was coming -- guess his inside sources dried up, eh? - TLK]

http://www.humaneventsonline.com/article.php?id=9992


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp