Bush, battered by political woes, says he still has 'plenty' of capital
07:30 PM EDT Oct 04
BETH GORHAM
http://www.cbc.ca/cp/world/051004/w100474.htmlWASHINGTON (CP) - President George W. Bush says he still has "plenty" of political capital left. But there's a lot less swagger these days. He's already coping with rising opposition to the Iraq war, the botched response to hurricane Katrina, gas price hikes, ethics controversies and charges of reckless spending. And on Tuesday, Bush spent much of his time at an hour-long news conference defending his choice of White House insider Harriet Miers for the Supreme Court.
Many view his selection of Miers, who's hardly a well-known conservative, as a clear sign that Bush the fighter now has little appetite for a brawl with Democrats over the high court pick amid his other political woes. "The decision as to whether or not there'll be a fight is up to the Democrats," said Bush. "They get to decide whether or not the special interests will decide the tone of the debate."
But analysts say he's traded one problem for others by picking Miers, inviting charges of cronyism and alienating conservative supporters who've waited years for the chance to turn the high court to the right. "She shares my judicial philosophy," insisted Bush. "I've know her long enough to know she's not going to change."
But some conservatives are unwilling to take the appointment on trust and openly wonder about her qualifications for the job. "Post-Katrina, the Bush administration feels politically vulnerable," says conservative pundit David Frum, a former Bush speechwriter. "It's reaching out," Frum wrote in the National Review Online. "But the Supreme Court is exactly the place where the president should draw the line."