IS THIS A CIRCULAR FIRING SQUAD, OR WHAT? While out running errands at lunchtime, I heard Rush Limbaugh calling Harriet Miers an underqualified affirmative-action candidate, and reacting angrily to being called an “elitist, sexist conservative” for being critical of her choice. Similar acrimony is evident in many quarters of the blogosphere.

Whatever Miers brings to the table, there’s no doubt that this nomination was a mistake politically, and that it’s been badly handled. What possible benefit could Bush get from the Miers nomination that makes it worth sowing this much dissension within the ranks of his supporters?