Inauguration

[Russell Nash]

Article 7 of The Constitution says that religion among other things cannot be used to determine whether or not a person should be hired for a federal position.  When Bush nominated Harriett Myers, he said everyone should be happy, because she's a good christian who goes to church every week. 

Miers was clearly a stalking-horse for... Roberts or Alito? I forget which one got nominated once she was withdrawn.

Just to play devil's advocate, I don't think it was necessarily unconstitutional to SAY Miers was a good Christian. Bush is a Christian and makes no bones about it, so in his opinion, that makes her a good choice. Unless he said "I picked her because she's a Christian" (and maybe he actually did; I don't remember that far back) he was just expressing an opinion.

If that's why Bush picked Miers, he's even dumber than I thought.  Besides all of the political flack he caught for it, Alito ended up having a very tough time.  The Dems were pissed at her nomination and ran Alito through hell. 

President Bush suggested Wednesday that Harriet Miers' evangelical Christian beliefs were part of the reason he nominated her to the Supreme Court. But later a White House spokesman said her religion played no role in her selection.

[Heradel]

Just after the John Ashcroft hospital incident the entire second and third tier of employees at the Justice Department threatened to resign en masse.  It scared the shit out of 43.

For the lazy: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/15/AR2007051500864.html

[Listener]

Is Hillary Clinton giving a stump speech?  I thought she was Secretary of State.

Only to stay relevant until 2010 or so, when she can start testing the waters for president in 2012, despite being in the same party as the president.

I'm just glad Obama got the nomination this year instead of Hillary, because that woman worries me.