Carper Statement on Miers’ Withdrawal

WASHINGTON (Oct. 27, 2005) –Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.) today issued the following statement regarding the announcement that Harriet Miers has withdrawn her name from consideration for the U.S. Supreme Court: “I am disappointed that Harriet Miers decided to withdraw her nomination before the Senate had a chance to examine her background and qualifications. In choosing the next replacement for Justice O’Connor, the president needs to pick a candidate with impeccable qualifications, who also represents the mainstream values of most Americans. There are many well-qualified, mainstream conservatives the president could choose, and I hope he does that instead of trying to appeal to his conservative base. Supreme Court nominations have become too much about ideology. They should be about competence and character.”