From Jane Chastain:
The revolt in the Republican ranks over the nomination of Harriett Miers to the Supreme Court is extremely significant. For the first time since George W. Bush was elected president, the leading conservative watchdog groups, even many from the religious right, are showing some backbone and are not blindly walking the plank for this man.
However, there is another revolt within conservative ranks that finally has caught fire. You must fan these flames because it is equally as important as a seat on the Supreme Court.
There are two ways we can lose this republic, which was established for us through much blood and sacrifice: We can allow nine political operatives to be elevated to the Supreme Court. Five justices form a junta and begin dictating to the powerless electorate. The second way is through loose fiscal policies.
After 40 years in the political wilderness, Republicans were swept into power in 1994 with their Contract with America. A major part of that contract had to do with cleaning up Congress and getting federal spending under control.
In less than two years, GOP leaders began throwing in the towel. They were first in line at the spending trough. Spending our money was both easy and fun. Furthermore, it gave them power. It wasn't long before they began spending at a rate faster than their Democrat counterparts.
