Harriet Miers and Harry Reid: The Dance of the Porcupines

Harriet Miers

Have the Democrats hit on a new, sooper-dooper seekrit strategy for killing the Miers nomination? By supporting her?

When the President first nominated John Roberts to the Supreme Court, conservative commentator Ann Coulter came out swinging hard.

Playing a favorite political game — Read the Tea Leaves — much of Washington swung into speculation. Was Ann really opposed to Roberts . . . or was she playing a strategy game trying to give Roberts cover by using her opposition to make him look more moderate?

Fast forward. Now, Harriet Miers has the opposite problem.

Harry Reid

Harriet has Harry in her corner. That would be Harry Reid. The Democratic Leader in the Senate.

Miers was on a short list of potential candidates Reid sent to the White House. Here’s what Jeralyn Merritt reported last week:

I was on a blogger conference call a few hours ago with Sen. Harry Reid, and he said that he would like to see Ms. Miers get the nod.

And now Reid has made some fairly effusive statements to greet her nomination:

I have to say without any qualification that I am very happy that we have someone like her. . .

So conservatives are left with some nagging questions:

Why was Miers on Reid’s short list?

And finally, if Reid is “very happy,” should we be?

On to the hearings.