...onward and upward let the healing begin.

Harriet Miers did the right thing this morning with regard to her nomination to SCOTUS, and now is the time to heal the undeniable rift that has been created. I have already heard some pundits on the radio opine that President Bush, being miffed at the conservative rebuke of this nomination, will be vindictive in his next appointment; and may nominate someone equally or even more-so unpalatable to his conservative base.

While it is impossible at this point to correctly predict who his choice will be, I firmly believe that Bush, albeit reluctantly, has seen the writing on the wall, as well as the importance placed on this nomination by those who have worked the hardest to get him in office. Bush's "new tone" philosophy has often led him to be eager to appease. This strategy, however, has won him no friends on the liberal side of the aisle, and has often left those on the right side of the aisle scratching their heads in utter bewilderment.

I would tend to hope and believe that Bush now realizes that a compromise candidate designed to bypass liberal democrat scrutiny is no bargain when his own party loyalists begin jumping ship; and that more often than not, you have to "dance with the one who brung you" if you want the remainder of your agenda to become reality.

***UPDATE***

For some good roundups around the blogosphere and elsewhere, check here, here and here.