My Two Cents

Okay, everyone else seems to have put in their opinion on Harriet Miers. I thought I would wait and see what other people had to say and to hear what the President had to say about her and to get a good look at her before I made up my mind.

Many people are saying that the President is just "rewarding" her and it is all about cronyism. I don't think that's the case at all. Ms. Miers had a very distinguished career long before she even met George W. Bush. She didn't become one of the top 100 lawyers in the nation on someone else's coattails. Nor did she receive the myriad of awards she acquired because she's a nice lady with powerful friends.

Law is one of the last bastions of the "All Boys Club." I worked at a large corporate law firm for almost 12 years and I saw the female attorneys come and go. The only ones that stuck it out, that eventually made partner, were the ones willing to work twice as hard as their male colleagues. Yes, twice as hard! And this was in the '90s. For Ms. Miers to make it to partner in six years, in 1978 no less, when she was the very first woman to ever be hired by that particular firm says a lot about her skills as a lawyer. And seeing that she is not married and has no children, shows that she has dedicated her life to her work because it is important to her.

Harry Reid likes her but that is because, I suspect, he sees a "little ol' lady" that should be easy to push around. I think most Democrats, some Republicans, and a lot of other detractors are going to be amazed at her tenacity. I believe that she has a spine of steel. I think that she may look sweet and grandmotherly, but we all know that looks can be deceiving. I don't think she'd be called a "pitbull in size 6 six shoes" if she's really just a marshmallow. Oh, and 60 is not "old."

The cases that she had as a practicing attorney do not necessarily mean that is her base set of beliefs. You can be against something or for something on a personal level yet represent someone with the opposite view because that is the law. (i.e. you can be against abortion but represent someone in a case for abortion because that is the law.) Judges and lawyers are supposed to work within the law, not on their emotions, wishes, or desires. Well, that is the way it's supposed to work.

I could very well be wrong about everything, but I hope that I'm not. I hope she is able to sit at that table in front of those (some very ugly) Senators on the judicial committee and not flinch. To be able to answer their questions without giving anything away and have them believe that she is "leaning" their way.

It was once said that Condi Rice is such a great leader because she has the ability to get people see things her way even when they are completely against her. She knows that if someone can see both sides of a situation they are more apt to come to an agreement on how to resolve the issue. I hope that Ms. Miers is like that.

Photo: Fox News.com

Update: hat tip to Bookworm Room for pointing me to The American Thinker to get another perspective on Ms. Miers.