Initial reaction to Miers nomination

After Roberts got my hopes up, we get Miers. What happened to "no more Souters?" Appearances can deceive, but Miers appears to be a stealth nominee, a crony nominee, and a "diversity" nominee. (Federalist No. 76 has been invoked.) Oh, and Harry Reid suggested Bush nominate Miers.

Cheney has already defended Miers on the Rush Limbaugh show.

I've worked closely with Harriet for five years. I've seen her and worked closely with her, hand-in-glove with her, really, through this process of reviewing candidates for the Supreme Court, and that's how we got to the Roberts nomination. She believes very deeply in the importance of interpreting the Constitution and the laws as written. She won't legislate from the federal bench, and the president has great confidence in her judicial philosophy, has known her for many years, and I share that confidence based on my own personal experience.

Interesting---just as Cheney vetted possible running mates for Bush only to become the running mate, Miers vetted possible Supreme Court nominees, and then she was nominated. I wish I could trust Bush like Hugh Hewitt does, but I can't. I want a nominee that conservatives outside the administration have no trouble vouching for; an informative paper trail is ideal. Miers is preferable to a counterfactual Kerry nominee, but this is a rather small consolation.