Up Or Down?

From Schumer on MTP:

George Bush, say whatever else you want about him, does not back away from a fight. I will say this, if he were to withdraw the nomination, it would be a stunning defeat for George Bush, and here's what I think it would show. I think it would show that a small group way over at the extreme had power over the White House. After all, not a single Republican senator has at this point called for Harriet Miers' resignation. And so if President Bush is going to march to the drum of a group that I think most Americans would consider out of the mainstream, it's going to be a real revelation to the American people and that's why I think he can't do it.

In the coming weeks, it's exceedingly likely that Miers' nomination will either fail in the Senate or be withdrawn by the White House. That is not only a show of weakness, but the President caving to extreme elements of his base. As Schumer says, most politicians are withholding judgment on her. In polls, 11% more Americans want Bush to continue supporting his nominee than want him to withdraw. Now, I, a partisan Democrat, want Miers to fail, but I know that mainstream Republicans believe all judicial nominees deserve an up-or-down vote, and would hate to see their deepest wishes and dream destroyed by a couple of conservative extremists.