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Miers debacle hits struggling
president
Photo: President Bush has defended Harriet Miers against
criticism.
President Bush has suffered one of the biggest
embarrassments of his presidency at a time when he faces a mountain
of other problems. Harriet Miers' lack of experience as a judge
and allegations that she was not conservative enough had led to
growing criticism of Mr Bush's Supreme Court choice, most notably
from right-wing Republicans. It had been clear for weeks that the
nomination was in trouble; groups had been lobbying hard against
her, allegations of cronyism were biting, meetings on Capitol Hill
had gone badly. Yet the timing of Ms Miers' withdrawal caught
observers by surprise, coming at a time when all eyes were on
impending developments in a CIA leak scandal that threatens to
engulf two senior Bush administration aides. Democrats have not had
to lift a finger to create the turmoil that now surrounds the Bush
presidency. Ms Miers' decision to step aside is being seen as an
attempt to save face, amid the realisation that support for her
candidacy simply was not there - even from the president's
conservative base.
'No paper trail': In a letter to the
president, Ms Miers said she was concerned about senators' plans to
seek documents from her service as legal counsel to Mr Bush, in
order to gain insights into her judicial philosophy. Mr Bush agreed
that publication of such internal documents would undermine a
president's ability to receive candid advice and "reluctantly"
accepted her decision. Ever since Ms Miers' nomination was
announced, Republicans looking forward to supporting a tough-minded
social conservative with an anti-abortion, anti-gay rights track
record had felt betrayed, according to some observers. As Eugene
Robinson of the Washington Post told the BBC earlier this month, the
lack of hard evidence of her positions on issues like abortion,
capital punishment and gay rights helped undermine her candidacy.
"The conservative base said, OK well we can take [John] Roberts,
he's bright, we can tell he is conservative," Robinson said. "Then
to come up with Harriet Miers, the fact is that we don't know where
she stands, she is not identified with any particular philosophy,
she has left no paper trail."
'Defining moment': Harriet Miers was a
very personal choice by the president. She has been a close member
of his staff for many years, and her withdrawal will be seen as a
personal blow to Mr Bush. Coupled with the flagging support for the
war on Iraq and the record lows in Mr Bush's personal approval
ratings, some are viewing this setback as a "defining moment" for
the president. Political commentators have suggested that his
presidency has been weakened, and that he can expect challenges on
future controversial measures. Yet the withdrawal provides Mr Bush
with an opportunity - and a problem. If he nominates a strong
conservative with a judicial track record, to help mend fences
within his party, he risks all-out war with the Democrats. But if he
fails to pull Republicans back together, Mr Bush may hasten the
eventual fate of all second-term presidents - becoming a lame duck
leader. -M. Davis
MIERS' CAREER PATH
1985: First female president of the Dallas Bar
Association
1992: First woman to head the Texas State Bar
1995-2000: Chairwoman of the Texas Lottery Commission
2001: Joins White House staff as president's staff
secretary
2003: Appointed Deputy Chief of Staff
2004: Named White House counsel
Charged aide quits Cheney office
Photo: Lewis Libby has been an influential figure in the White
House.
A top aide to the US vice-president has resigned
after being charged with perjury over an investigation into the
unmasking of a covert CIA agent. Lewis Libby, chief-of-staff to
Dick Cheney, was also charged with obstruction of justice and making
false statements to the federal grand jury. Bush aide Karl Rove was
not charged but the investigation has not been closed. The identity of
CIA agent Valerie Plame - whose husband criticised the Iraq war - was
leaked to a US reporter in 2003.
Revealing the identity of a covert agent is a federal
offence. Special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has accused Mr Libby of
lying about how and when he learned and disclosed to reporters
classified information about Ms Plame. If found guilty on all five
counts in the indictment, the 55-year-old faces a maximum of 30 years
in prison and a $1.25m (£705,000) fine for each charge. Speaking at a
news conference, Mr Fitzgerald said the allegations against Mr Libby
were very serious but he must be presumed innocent until proven
guilty. Setting out the evidence in the indictment, he alleged that Mr
Libby had deliberately misled the FBI over his conversations with
reporters about Ms Plame. "At the end of the day, what appears is that
Mr Libby's story, that he was at the tail end of a chain of phone
calls, passing on from one reporter what he heard from another, was
not true - it was false," he said. "He was at the beginning of the
chain of the phone calls, the first official to disclose this
information outside the government, to a reporter. And he lied about
it afterwards, under oath, and repeatedly." Asked whether anyone would
be charged with leaking Mr Plame's identity, Mr Fitzgerald said the
investigation was not yet over. The disclosure of Ms Plame's identity
had damaged not only her but also compromised the national security of
the US, he added.
Fight charges: No other official has been
charged, although Mr Rove has been told he remains under investigation
by the grand jury. Mr Fitzgerald refused to be drawn on whether Mr
Rove would be charged in the future. In a statement released with the
indictment, Mr Fitzgerald said: "When citizens testify before grand
juries, they are required to tell the truth. "The requirement to tell
the truth applies equally to all citizens including persons who hold
high positions in government." Mr Cheney said he had accepted his
former chief-of-staff's resignation "with deep regret". He released a
statement saying Mr Libby would fight the charges and must be presumed
innocent until found guilty by a jury. He can take some comfort in the
fact that his right-hand man, Karl Rove, has for now escaped
prosecution - even if he remains under investigation for the next six
months. Ms Plame's identity was leaked after her husband, diplomat
Joseph Wilson, accused the Bush administration of manipulating
intelligence to support military action against Iraq. Mr Wilson says
it was done to undermine his credibility. Others have raised the
possibility that it was a form of payback for her husband's criticism.
Bush says the
United States is sending cash and helicopters to Pakistan
 Photo:
President Bush waves as he arrives for services at St. John's church,
Sunday, in Washington.
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. President
George W. Bush said Sunday the United States is sending cash and eight
helicopters in response to Pakistan's plea for international
assistance with earthquake recovery. "Thousands of people have died,
thousands are wounded, and the United States of America wants to
help," Bush said from the Oval Office. Saturday's magnitude-7.7
earthquake killed at least 20,000. Officials said the death toll could
climb much higher and Bush declared the quake the worst natural
disaster in Pakistan's history. With Pakistan's ambassador away from
Washington, Bush invited the embassy's deputy chief of mission,
Mohammad Sadiq, to the White House to offer condolences in person. He
spoke to reporters with Sadiq by his side, in front of a fireplace in
the Oval Office. Bush also said he called Pakistan's president, Gen.
Pervez Musharraf. "I told him that we want to help in any way we can,"
Bush said. "To that end we've already started to send cash money and
other equipment and goods that are going to be needed to help to the
people in Pakistan." Musharraf has asked other countries for help,
particularly cargo helicopters to bypass roads that have been made
impassible by mudslides. Bush suggested the U.S. might send resources
already based in the region, perhaps in bordering Afghanistan. "One of
the biggest concerns for the government of Pakistan is not enough
airlift capacity to get to some of these rural areas where people are
suffering," Bush said. "So we're moving choppers. (Defence) Secretary
(Donald) Rumsfeld is surveying the assets that he may be able to move
in the area." The U.S.-led coalition and a separate NATO-led
peacekeeping force have dozens of heavy-lift choppers and transport
airplanes in Afghanistan. Many are based near Kabul, about 480
kilometres from areas worst hit by the earthquake. Military officials
in Afghanistan said Sunday they had no plans yet to send their
aircraft into Pakistan. Col. James Yonts, spokesman for the U.S.-led
coalition, said commanders in the United States have not instructed
the force to help with quake relief. Bush did not take questions from
reporters and did not specify how much cash the United States was
sending. He added that many Americans will "be asking for the almighty
God's blessings on the people of Pakistan." A State Department
spokesman, Kurtis Cooper, said the eight helicopters are bringing
relief supplies to remote areas of Pakistan. A C-17 military aircraft
has been assigned to bring blankets, tents and other relief supplies,
and a shipment of relief supplies via charter aircraft has been
ordered. Other relief missions will follow, Cooper said. The U.S. also
is sending a seven-person team to Pakistan to assess relief needs and
to co-ordinate assistance, Cooper said. The U.S. Agency for
International Development has contributed $500,000 to the American Red
Cross for Pakistan relief. By Nadra Picker
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