This is an interesting tidbit from Byron York, who has great sources in the White House:
According to informed sources, this is how the last day of the Miers nomination played out. Yesterday morning, President Bush met with Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and Majority Whip Mitch McConnell, and others at the White House, where they discussed the problems facing the nomination. There were staff conversations between the majority leader’s office and the White House throughout the day. There was a meeting in Dick Cheney’s office in the afternoon, with the vice president and nomination strategists taking part, in which the fading support for the nomination was discussed. And then in the early evening, Frist had a phone conversation with White House Chief of Staff Andy Card in which Frist gave what’s being called a frank assessment of the nomination’s prospects. Not long afterward, a final decision was made, and Miers called the president at 8:30 p.m. to say she would withdraw, and the formal announcement was set for this morning.
My italics. Who made the decision? Cheney? Bush? Doesn’t this strongly imply that the president or vice-president decided to pull the plug on Miers and then had Miers “decide on her own” to withdraw? Face-saving can be so elaborate sometimes, can’t it? Especially if you’re constitutively unable to concede error. This was probably a necessary move – in order to consolidate the base in response to the looming possibility of indictments. The fight is on. And whom Bush picks to replace Miers will be a very interesting insight into how he sees the remainder of his presidency.
The Dish 