The shadow knows If Harriet Miers is a pal of W’s, that’s enough to creep us out

The word came down on Monday that White House counsel (and for-mer staff secretary) Harriet Miers will be President Bush’s selection to replace Sandra Day O’Connor on the Supreme Court. That she’s never been a jurist is not exactly startling. As has been pointed out, more than 40 percent of the nation’s Supreme Court justices have never served as judges.

Because Miers has never been a judge, there is hardly any paper trail as to where she stands, or what she thinks. This, it would seem, is the point of the nomination. You can bet she will use the same confirmation hearing strategy as the one tapped by newly minted Chief Justice Roberts: say nothing.

One may not think that Bush is very smart, but he sure is wily to bring in another stealth candidate, a la David Souter. It’s really hard to disagree with someone you don’t know. We do know, however, that Miers is a Bush true believer, and that should be enough to give anyone the willies.

The other interesting note is how she received her call in the "Cheney way." Miers headed up the committee vetting potential court appointments, much in the same way that Cheney led the committee looking for vice-presidential candidates in 2000.

Everyone in DC is now furiously checking Miers’s background. This could probably be achieved by checking the president’s record, because we can assume that they are exactly the same. If anyone is a presidential shadow, it would be Harriet Miers.

Since almost all the other women un–der consideration were raving right-wingers with real bench records, this kind of nomination shouldn’t be entirely surprising. We’ll just have to wait and see what turns up.

ASCENSION TO THE THRONE

Hats off to our old pal Joe Brady, who knows where all the bodies are buried at the State House, for being elected Rhode Island head of the Ancient Order of Hibernians. Although Phillipe & Jorge are atheist Scots, we always enjoy the company of AOH members and their golf outings, as well as the beautiful new headquarters for the organization’s Newport branch. Joe gave us a tour of the facility while celebrating his rise to prominence, and the Red Sox’ final regular season day thrashing of the Yankees, and it is a treat. Needless to say, drinking, smoking, and loud taunts and laughter are absolutely forbidden on the premises of this Irish-American organization. Pogue mahone, boys, we love ya.

TIME TO RE-THINK?

Rhode Island Survivor vet Helen Glover’s entrance into the talk-radio field on WHJJ is mildly entertaining (and thank all gods they didn’t hire Richard Hatch). Glover and Ah-leen Violet have the making of a solid one-two punch for the station. But P&J suggest that WHJJ change the promo for Glover’s show, in which she rants about how, if terrorists can say they are acting in the name of their God, why can’t the Pledge of Allegiance be used in our schools, which her children attend and her tax dollars fund? Perhaps she should reconsider comparing her views of personal rights in the US with those of ungoverned terrorists. Remember, Helen, even in the United States, your God ain’t necessarily everyone else’s.

Allah akbar, Ms. Glover, and our homage to the Church of the SubGenius.

EXTERMINATORS UNITE

Nothing could be more uplifting to the spirits than seeing the indictment of US House Majority Leader Tom "Cockroach Boy" DeLay, which has caused him to vacate his position as the No. 2 vermin in the House GOP hierarchy. It looks like the time has come, after numerous scandals, for this creep to take a fall, despite his Hillary Clinton-esque attempts to portray the pursuit of him as a vast left-wing conspiracy.

This is the sort of thing that puts our buddy Senator Linc Chafee in an enormous bind. We have and will continue to advocate for Linc to become an independent (not to mention skewering his 2006 primary opponent Steve "Laugh at Me" Laffey for being an egotist). But fellow party members, like DeLay and other raving right-wingers, still cast a shadow over Linc. It’s the old guilt-by-association trick.

But DeLay’s woes may be a blessing in disguise if they more clearly point out how Dubya Bush and his cronies are not only filthy with guilt, but allied with people who think Mr. Wizard was an alchemist when it comes to believing in science. Their God — who, of course, created us all, Mr. Darwin, you deluded poseur — is money, plain and simple.

Intelligent design? Hold the intelligent, please.

BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATERS

P&J see where Governor Carcieri struck a "blow for progress," as his e-news reports, by smashing a concrete block on the old Jamestown Bridge with a sledgehammer, signaling the beginning of the long-awaited demolition of Little Rhody’s tribute to Erector Sets.

The project is expected to cost $19.5 million and take 18 months. Right. Just like the construction of the new bridge set jaw-dropping records for cost overruns (without any recourse), and went ages past its deadline.

As previously suggested by your supe-rior correspondents, the RI Lottery should let people bet on how long the demolition will take and what the extra expense will be. And a message to the Don, with your superior correspondents sounding like doting parents: for God’s sake, stay off the old bridge, especially if you are smashing things with a sledgehammer. It’s a long way down to the Bay from up there.

SLEEPLESS NIGHTS

Now that New York Times reporter Judith Miller has been sprung from jail for her non-role in the outing of CIA operative Valerie Plame, P&J will be happy to lend some sleeping pills to Dubya’s vile pig boy advisor, Karl Rove, unctuous "Big Time" Cheney ass-kisser "Scooter" Libby, and toadish columnist Bob Novak. With prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald getting closer and closer to the truth about who leaked Ms. Plame’s identity, slipping nightly into the arms of Morpheus will not come easily to any of this trio.

Sleep tight, boys.

ECONOMICS 101

Well, we all certainly know "what’s up" after the last few weeks: electricity costs, oil and gas prices, food costs, and Blue Cross premiums will soon be up, too. What’s not up is your income. Does anyone still believe that Bush should hold firm and continue to fight for continued tax cuts for the wealthiest people in the country?

RIP

. . . August Wilson, a genius of the American theater. His plays will continue to be an inspiration for decades to come. The accolades have been richly earned.

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