Dear Bush: “You are the best governor ever…” Best, Harriet Miers. That’s a real quote – click the link to see more cloying quotes from the New York Times.

OK, so she’s not exactly qualified for the Supreme Court, and the nomination does smack of cronyism, but I’m beginning to think that some of the criticism is encroaching upon sexism. Take the apocryphal Harriet Miers blog, which portrays her as a bubbly idiot lacking self-esteem and obsessed with fame. My guess is that if a male with her qualifications was nominated, we wouldn’t see anything like this blog linked to from major blogs and news sources (even if as a joke). There’s something about her being underqualified and being a woman that leads to this sort of ditzy humor.

Laura Bush has also suggested that sexism might be in play here, but I think she’s responding to all claims of Mier’s lack of qualifications. I won’t go that far – I do think she’s underqualified, and I see no problem with the media hammering that point – but by simultaneously mocking her girlish language, even if the intentions are benign, the accusation of sexism begins to accrue merit. This would be harmless if the jokes were confined to late-night television and flippant blogs, but problems arise when the mainstream media jumps on the bandwagon. If Miers’s confirmation does get defeated, it will be interesting to see how historians explain the causes ten years from now.

One last thing: I myself am torn on whether or not I want Miers to be confirmed. On the one hand – consider it my idealist hand – I want her to be defeated because her presence on the court will likely aggravate the bitter divide that already haunts the court, and because she’ll likely vote for the Bush agenda without pause. On the other hand – my practical hand – her getting confirmed is the least bad option, since she may prove to be an inneffective advocate in swaying the opinions of other justices, and a more qualified nominee, say an intellectual powerhorse such as Roberts, will vote similarly and be a better persuader.