Petition against Harriet Miers

Petition against Harriet Miers on National Review Online:

"Petition for the Withdrawal of the Nomination of Harriet Miers to the U.S. Supreme Court

WE ARE REPUBLICANS AND CONSERVATIVES who supported the election of George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004. Today, we respectfully urge that the nomination of Harriet Miers to the United States Supreme Court be withdrawn.

The next justice of the Supreme Court should be a person of clear, consistent, and unashamed conservative judicial philosophy.

The next justice should be a person of unquestioned personal and political independence.

The next justice should be someone who has demonstrated a deep engagement in the constitutional issues that regularly come before the Supreme Court - and an appreciation of the originalist perspective on those issues.

The next justice should be a person of the highest standard of intellectual and legal excellence.

For all Harriet Miers. many fine qualities and genuine achievements, we the undersigned believe that she is not that person. An attempt to push her nomination through the Senate will only split the Republican party, damage the Bush presidency, and cast doubts upon the Court itself.

Sometimes Americans elect Republican presidents, sometimes we elect Democratic presidents. Whatever the differences between the parties, surely we can at least agree on this: Each party owes America its best. There is a wide range of truly outstanding legal talents who share the president's judicial philosophy. We believe that on second thought President Bush can do better - for conservatism, for the Supreme Court, for America."