Redstate

By Pejman Yousefzadeh Posted in The Courts — Comments (5) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »

Is the description of those trying to get Harriet Miers confirmed to the Supreme Court. And well it should be--I have a hard time remembering when a self-inflicted political wound turned out to be so utterly devastating:

Strategists working with the White House in support of the Supreme Court nomination of Harriet Miers are becoming increasingly demoralized and pessimistic about the nomination's prospects on Capitol Hill in the wake of Miers's meetings with several Republican and Democratic senators. On a conference call held this morning, they even discussed whether Miers should simply stop visiting with lawmakers, lest any further damage be done — and so that time spent in such get-acquainted sessions will not cut into Miers's intensive preparation for her confirmation hearing.

The strategists discuss issues on a twice-weekly conference call led by Leonard Leo, the executive vice president of the Federalist Society who has taken leave to help the White House shepherd the nomination through the Senate. A number of people who have taken part in the calls described the conversations to National Review Online. None wanted to be identified, because they do not want to openly oppose the White House or defy loyalists like Leo who are trying hard to defend Miers. Nevertheless, they paint a grim portrait of morale among those close to the nomination.

"The number of participants is declining," says one knowledgeable source. "With Roberts, these calls occurred five or six or seven times a week. Pretty early on, the calls on Miers were scaled back to twice a week. That says something in and of itself."

"It's been a gradual descent into almost silence," says a second source of the calls. "The meetings with the senators are going terribly. On a scale of one to 100, they are in negative territory. The thought now is that they have to end....Obviously the smart thing to do would be to withdraw the nomination and have a do-over as soon as possible. But the White House is so irrational that who knows? As of this morning, there is a sort of pig-headed resolve to press forward, cancel the meetings with senators if necessary, and bone up for the hearings."

This nomination has the smell of death about it. The first high profiled Republican Senator to come out against it (Sam Brownback, I'm looking your way) will likely start an avalanche that will bury the nomination. I thought up until now that perhaps Miers would be able to be confirmed by the skin of her teeth. Maybe that will still be the case. But for the first time, I am thinking that the chances are better than even that the Senate will reject her.

And evidently, the market agrees. 

Meanwhile, we have a good question! Why hadn't I thought of asking it?