In the end, not even one of Harriet Miers’ few supporters among the political power brokers of evangelical Christianity would stand behind her.
Focus on the Family founder James Dobson waited until after Miers withdrew her nomination to the Supreme Court on Thursday to reveal that he had developed reservations in recent days about her conservative credentials.
Dobson cited fresh disclosures that Miers in 1993 made statements conservatives portrayed as pro-abortion rights.
The influential radio show host and child psychologist said in a statement that President Bush made a “wise decision” to accept Miers’ withdrawal.
“When the president announced this nominee, I expressed my tentative support, based on what I was able to discover about her,” Dobson said. “But I also said I would await the hearings to learn more about her judicial philosophy. Based on what we now know about Miss Miers, it appears that we would not have been able to support her candidacy. Thankfully, that difficult evaluation is no longer necessary.”
The splintered evangelical Christian reaction to Miers’ nomination may not have doomed her prospects, but it certainly contributed to the downfall of a troubled nomination, observers say.
“The religious conservative movement is still a minority movement, but it speaks loudly and has influence,” said Mark Rozell, professor of public policy at George Mason University. “But when it’s a splintered minority, it’s not terribly effective at all.”
Rozell said it was a huge mistake for the White House to bet that it could win over its evangelical base by underlining Miers’ own faith story.
It helped convince Dobson, who became embroiled in a controversy after hinting he received inside information about Miers from Karl Rove, the White House’s top political strategist.
Dobson’s explanation – that Rove told him about Miers’ evangelical faith and anti-abortion views, but not how she would rule on Roe vs. Wade – did not stop senators from threatening to call Dobson to testify at her confirmation hearings.
Gaining Dobson’s support likely helped the president, but to a limited degree, said Amy Black, a political science professor at Wheaton College.
The main problem: Dobson and the handful of other evangelicals who backed Miers could not provide enough evidence to convince the public of her judicial qualifications, Black said.
“People will listen to Dr. Dobson; he’s an influential player – but people wanted more information than he was able or willing to give,” Black said.
Most evangelical leaders had little use for the fact that Miers was one of their own. If anything, critics argued, a person’s belief should not play a role in interpreting law, and she lacked a judicial track record.
“We are disappointed our side breached the rule that you don’t emphasize a person’s religion on forming support or a rejection of that person,” said Jan LaRue, chief counsel for the Concerned Women for America, which called for Miers to withdraw Wednesday. “We found it patronizing and somewhat offensive.”
The Rev. Ted Haggard of Colorado Springs, president of the National Association of Evangelicals, never took a position on Miers but shared the view that her perspective on constitutional law was what mattered and her faith did not.
Of Miers’ withdrawal, Haggard said, “The system worked.”
Staff writer Eric Gorski can be reached at 303-820-1698 or egorski@denverpost.com.
