There are many now arguing that even if we had to endure two years of Speaker Pelosi or Majority Leader Reid, it would pay off in the long run, perhaps as the first two years of the Clinton administration resulted in the 1994 Republican landslide. Well, this is not 1994. Even two years of control of one branch of the government could do irreparable harm at a time when the outcome of the mission in Iraq and the status of judicial appointments is at such a delicate and critical point.
Evidently some found the attacks on Miers so successful that they have decided the same tactics should be used against the president anytime there is a major disagreement with him. Those following the Miers model should remember, however, that many of those attacks were made on Miers individually (her education and experience), and she is gone. Her image was forever damaged by those attacks.
What makes the current debate over immigration or spending different from the Miers case is that there is no other individual that can simply withdraw to solve the problem. The president is the one that would be damaged, and unless someone impeaches him, he isn't going anywhere for a while and he will be addressing other issues such as the war on terror, Iraq, taxes, social security reform, and judicial appointments.
Voicing opposition to your president or party should not be discouraged. The fact that we have that freedom is one of the things that makes this country great. I was not opposed to those conservatives that split with the president over Miers vigorously fighting that battle. Most did so in a civil and fair manner. There were some, however, that used the dispute to call for the destruction of the Republican Party. I fear that some are now presently pursuing that course over the issue of illegal immigration.
Disagree, dissent, march, email, telephone the White House and the Congress, heck, even mail a brick, but it doesn’t make sense to completely destroy the man who will be leading the country for two more years, or to destroy the Republican Party unless you are ready to accept the agenda of Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Reid.