A Divide That's Hard to Fathom--or Heal

Today a very thoughtful and well-spoken woman named Trudy called the Rush Limbaugh show. A self-identified religious conservative, she expressed her disappointment and disapproval of Bill Kristol, National Review, Rush, and others who have spoken out against Harriet Miers. She said that she felt it showed a contempt for the religious conservatives by the "conservative leadership" and that they were using her efforts and time and then casting her aside.

The interesting thing to me is that's exactly the way I and many, many others (Burrell, Kouba, Bainbridge, and Wayne respectively) feel about what Bush did in nominating Miers. I feel that he--not those who oppose his inexplicable choice for the court--is the one who has betrayed the trust of all conservatives, (not just religious ones.) This divide within the party is not going to be healed quickly or easily. I repeat my earlier prediction that the 2006 elections are going to be shaped by these events. It is entirely possible that the beginning of the end of Republican control of the House and Senate was a week ago Monday when the President announced his decision to put his personal lawyer on the Supreme Court. And frankly, while I don't hope that happens, if it does, Bush will deserve it. He brought this to pass.