I don’t have anything intelligent to say about Miers at this point. I suspect she is right wing, but not insane, on issues of presidential power and business regulation. I also suspect that she is going to vote to overturn Roe v. Wade. But I haven’t had a lot of time to look into her record, such as it is. I am sure I will have more to say as more information comes out about her. But I do know that this pick epitomizes Bush’s decisions making process.

It is pretty clear that Miers real qualification is that Bush likes her. In much the same fashion that Cheney gained Bush’s confidence and got himself anointed Vice President, so did Miers, who was supposed to be running the Supreme Court search, get herself appointed to the Court. Bush is, fundamentally, a weak person. He has never had to suffer the consequences of failing by himself. He paid no real price for his dereliction of duty in the Guard. None of his business failings have cost him anything — there was always one of Daddy’s friends to bail him out, and another of Daddy’s friends to give him yet another chance to ruin a business. Since Congress has been under the control of the GOP, he hasn’t had to face serious scrutiny of his actions. He has even had a cult of personality built up around him that has protected him from the displeasure of activists on the right.

That is not a life that has instilled in Bush an appreciation for talent, or skill, or intelligence, or dedication. Bush has never had to have any of those things. What has mattered in his life are connections. His name has provided him with a ready made stable of people willing to do almost anything for him or say almost anything to him in order to get ahead. Bush hasn’t ever had to hire for quality, nor take his responsibilities seriously. The reason an unqualified hack like Brown can get appointed to a critical position like the head of FEMA is the same reason that a crony like Miers: because Bush likes who he likes, and has never had to consider the fact that who he likes might not be a good choice for the job.

The right wing crying about being betrayed by Bush is amusing. It as if they thought the evidence of his entire life was some grand political head fake. They expected the flighty, weak, coddled child of too much privilege to suddenly become a Great Man, despite all the evidence to the contrary. They voted for an empty suit, and they are now surprised when the empty suit turns to other empty suits for support and approval. It would be funny if it wasn’t so sad for the country.