Sign Of The Times

I've been reading story after story about secret conference calls and back-of-hand assurances to high-level right-wing wackadoos that Harriet Miers is actually Pro-Life. However, nobody — especially Ms. Miers or President Bush — will step up and confirm that that is the case publically.

Thus, the one thing that conservatives trumpet as their cause célèbre among themselves is the one thing they can't risk "the masses" finding out about a Supreme Court nominee. So risky in fact that they will settle for as little as a Pro-Life wink and nod from the nominee (or, actually, wink and nod from friends of friends of the nominee) as the best assurance that they can hope for at this point in history. Ms. Miers may even get up and tell the congressional confirmation committee that she is against overturning Roe v. Wade... and all the conservatives will do is say, "Well, of course she had to say that. She wouldn't get confirmed otherwise. We have assurances however."

This, more than anything else, I think, is (much like nationwide gay marriage with liberals) proof that at least for the forseeable future (15-20 years?) the Pro-Life / Pro-Choice debate is settled and will not be under threat of change until then. (And by then, today's liberal will be tomorrow's conservative, so that's that.)