PressEthic

Maureen Dowd has never needed a reason to write a sarcastic column about various members of the Bush administration. Today her chosen victim was Harriet Miers. After reading a birthday card that Miers sent to then-governor Bush (she told him he was “the best Governor ever”), Dowd imagined some other notes Miers might have sent him over the years:

September 2001 – “I found out today that you handed down a decision for the White House mess to offer three different kinds of jelly with its P.B.&J. sandwiches. Sweet!!”

October 2002 – “You’re one of my favorite things, sir!”

April 2004 – “There is no other president who would have had the courage to allow torture, dude!”

October 2005 – “How can I thank you, Sir? I never, ever expected the Supreme Court. Phat!... I await your instructions, Master.”

Obviously these are all fake. But it’s obvious that this woman doesn’t really inspire respect. The fact that Laura Bush is reduced to saying that arguments against Miers are motivated by sexism adds to the ridiculousness of the situation. Sexism? It’s not like this is the first woman ever being considered for the Supreme Court. There’s no substance to any part of this argument – journalists have no real information to relate to their readers about Harriet Miers – and since no one knows anything about her, the administration can’t really argue against her critics except to say that they’re sexist.

I can’t decide if this is cronyism to the extreme, or the Bush administration high on drugs.