Sen. Sam Brownback deserves special commendation for his role in the Miers withdrawal

Sen. Sam Brownback deserves special commendation for his role in the Miers withdrawal. Early on, he voiced concerns that other senators shared but did not express. When political operatives connected to the White House made clumsy attempts to intimidate him, he neither gave in nor lashed out. His demand for documents both attempted to respect presidential prerogatives and created a face-saving way out for the nomination.

Once Miers withdrew, he refrained from bragging about his victory. We tend to think that without Brownback's opposition, the nomination would have collapsed more ignominiously during hearings. But even supporters of the nomination should concede that Brownback acted gracefully and intelligently on his opposition.

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