A Tactical Victory for Harry Reid, Thanks to GWB

The current administration has never been quick to see the irony of their actions. The first example that comes to mind is Cheney pushing for torture legislation and aides outing a CIA agent for political reasons, all the while the right wingers complaining that criticism of the administration gives aid to the enemy.

However, Bush himself shed light on the latest irony in his comments about the withdrawal of Mier's nomination:

"It is clear that Senators would not be satisfied until they gained access to internal documents concerning advice provided during her tenure at the White House -- disclosures that would undermine a President's ability to receive candid counsel."

Ironically, this is precisely the same situation Democratic Senators were complaining about during the Roberts confirmation process. Seems like the GOP is totally comfortable pushing a candidate through without much scrutiny if they are confident of his "conservative" position - to hell with the Democrats. But when questions arise about a nominee's "conservative" chops, why then the Senate just can't provide its advice and consent in good conscience without those papers.

Why is this potentially a tactical victory for Harry Reid? Because in all the hubbub about Mier's, he kept the Democratic Senators together, showing an even-keeled approach to the process. The Democrats stood by their principles, all the while letting the GOP eat itself from the inside. Now, the Pres has no choice but to nominate a radical right-wing psycho to the bench, and Reid can use that nominee as an opportunity to highlight the differences between the mainstream ideals of the Democrats and the freaking insane radicalism of the "Christian" right.