Miers withdraws

So it should be pretty obvious that this "executive privilege" stuff is just a front for Bush to get away from Harriet Miers. Charles Krauthammer even predicted this a few days ago.

And the right is cheering, almost chomping at the bit for the President to appoint a hard-core conservative and begin the buildup to the nuclear option. The left is trembling in fear, they feel, and we should pounce and weaken them while we have the chance.

So they want a guy with an approval rating near forty to got into a heated battle over the next nominee.

If Bush were enjoying success, I could see it. I could see his cavalier attitude picking a Lutting or Brown or whoever the right wants as their appeasement pick. But think about this. Bush put forth the woman he thought was the best choice, and the right wing savaged him. There was no trust, no respect for W. They went after her and pushed for a withdrawal.

So why would Bush give in to them? Why does the President care about what the radical right thinks anymore? He doesn't need them to get re-elected. He doesn't need them to propose drilling in ANWR or destroying Social Security. And quite frankly, he doesn't need them to support his Supreme Court nominee. What will he get if he, as Senator Reid writes, "reward[s] the bad behavior of his right wing base?"

Nothing. It seems that both the radical right and the President may be waking up in the same bed having lost some respect for each other in this battle. And it will be interesting to see if they decide to try and patch things up for the children or part ways and move on.