Other Columns by Horace Cooper
Horace Cooper Bio

Printer-Friendly Version

A wag once said, "If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog." Harriet Miers is finding there's a lot of truth to this axiom. Acting more like reality TV contestants waiting to vote their competition off the island than the professional opinion givers they are charged by the public to be, the Washington talkers and opiners (particularly those on the right) have marched in lock step toward a conclusion that Harriet Miers isn't fit for the job of Supreme Court Justice.

It's amazing how quickly the tide turns. In the spring of this year, she was given a favorable write up (Washington speak for puff piece) in the Washington Post's Style section. Unlike much of the present criticism, then she was "defined by hard work, dedication and client loyalty." At the time of her appointment as White House Counsel, the President's assertion that "Harriet has the keen judgment and discerning intellect necessary to be an outstanding counsel" went unchallenged. Today some claim that she's not fit to play an Associate Justice on NBC's the West Wing. Back in the spring, the Post acknowledged that the job of White House Counsel "is a job that has an impact on almost every major decision made in the White House" yet now the position is belittled as insufficient training to play in the "big leagues."

While it's been said that Washington is fickle, who would have guessed that you need to carry a blackberry to get the updates of who's up and who's down. When you're up in Washington, you're like Leonardo DiCaprio "King of the World." Nothing but the best will be said about you, but when you're on the outs with Washington, sometimes even the lamest things will be said about you and go unchallenged. Miss Miers has had her ups and now it appears that she's getting to experience her downs. And she is also getting to find about the wonderful world of anonymous critics. Ah yes, the anonymous critic; those individuals who stood by silently before but now feel compelled to speak up because the stakes are so high. Except in order to "maintain their viability" they must do so off the record.

Actually, these antics would be laughable if one didn't realize how painful Washington's game of character assassination can be for those experiencing it. And unfortunately, now that it's open season on her, there's almost a race to get out the most fallacious claims possible.

Consider: one Washington insider opined that Harriet Miers is either a closet Democrat or at least maintains sympathies for the Democrats because as late as 1988 she made contributions to Al Gore's presidential campaign. That was nearly two decades ago, yet it's presented as a legitimate criticism of the counsel to a Republican president. How's this for the truth, the Texas governor, Republican Rick Perry was Al Gore's state campaign chairman when Miss Miers was making that political contribution. In Washington speak, we'd say that he had gone "all in" for Al Gore and yet no one doubts his conservative bonafides. In fact, a better question is why has the national media allowed Al Gore to walk away from his pro-life, pro-defense moderate Democrat views in order to become the Move On.org poster child. Harriet Miers has made a journey that hundreds of thousands of former Democrats have made including former President Ronald Reagan. Before her nomination this type of journey was welcomed and celebrated.

>> Continued -- Page 1 2