Could Bush "Miers" His Legacy

In my estimation, President Bush has made a very shrewed choice in his selection of Harriet Miers for Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. His poll numbers have plummeted to all time lows (only with slight increases lately), His management style has come under intense scrutiny due to Katrina and Rita (not unlike Reagan's management approach), his top political adviser (among others) is in a legal morass, and the war in Iraq gains fewer supporters by the day (perhaps due to the almost exclusively negative reporting in the media). Thus, Bush has picked an appointee with stealth armour. Bush says he is not a man moved by the polls, unlike his predecessor. But as the referenced article suggests, he may be making decisions that will impact his long-term legacy more than his current popularity. Both liberals and conservatives seem to be somewhat nervous about this pick. Conservatives are trusting that there is something Bush knows about Miers, due to their long and trusted political relationship, that the rest of the world does not know - and that until she is confirmed, she won't tell. Seems to me there were similar hopes for Miss. Mier's predecessor. James Dobson's assurances that she is an evangelical Christian create no calm in my mind about how she will interpret the constitution - especially sincie "evangelical Christian" is a virtually meaningless term today. President Bush is a shrewd politician. He has shrewed political advisers whispering in his ear. No man who sits behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office for two terms avoids the question of his legacy. President Bush could have picked strong conservative voice. Instead, he chose an individual that will test the blind support he expects from conservatives and one who will challenge the covert moderate positions of many democrats. For two interesting conservative perspectives, see: Fred Barnes' Reaction and Bill Kristol