Drawing Tenuous Lines

The New York Times has an interesting story on Senator Brownback’s reaction to the Miers nomination – a strong reticence at best, a threat not to vote to confirm at worst. Brownback, the Times says, is “considered a leading conservative voice” and is principally concerned with Miers’ refusal to openly stand against abortion and other issues of concern to social conservatives. The Times says:

While other Republican senators have emerged from their meetings with Ms. Miers offering more effusive praise of her than before, Senator Brownback said his view was unchanged. He complained that he was left trying "to gather little pieces of shreds of evidence" about her views not only on abortion but on other matters of importance to social conservatives, including gay marriage and the role of religion in public life.

What’s useful about this story is that it exposes the frailty of the evangelicals versus intellectuals frame that’s been put forth on the conservative reaction to her nomination by several publications. While James Dobson and Martin Olavsky may favor Miers for her evangelical background, she is by no means a shoe-in for social conservatives.

Nor is Brownback attacking her on grounds that could be called elitist. While some have suggested that resistance to her nomination is largely a result of snooty, pointy-head Ivy League types, Brownback’s criticisms show that conservatives of all stripes are joining the fracas.

While Miers’ worth as a candidate is still an open question (with the burden entirely on the White House to prove her value), the fact is that the lines drawn by the MSM in the conservative fray aren’t as easy as any of them would like.