SEPTA threatens to strike Monday. Here we go again. SEPTA's union is threatening to strike if no contract deal is reached by Monday. It's making national news:

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBYWVPLCFE.html

Here are some telling paragraphs:

The union representing Philadelphia subway, trolley and bus workers threatened to strike unless a contract is reached by Monday, leaving the transit system's 460,000 daily riders to find alternate ways to travel.

The city is preparing for a possible strike by setting up extra bicycle racks and allowing more parking. City schools, which don't provide bus service for high schoolers, plan to remain open, but could reconsider if there is a prolonged strike.

The last Philadelphia transit strike, in 1998, lasted 40 days. Transit strikes here cause bigger problems than in most American cities because one in three Philadelphia households has no car.

One in three Philadelphia households has no car? Can you tell this city is run by Democrats? That last paragraph can be rewritten this way: "Transit strikes here cause bigger problems than in most American cities because one in three Philadelphians are dependent on mass transit". If a strike is not averted, I hope it doesn't go on for 40 days like the 1998 strike did. Not only do SEPTA strikes hurt the city's economy and cause many inconveniences, but car theft also rises in the city during SEPTA strikes. There were numerous car thefts in my neighborhood during a strike in 1995. Be warned.

Bad week for Bush, or bad week for liberals? The mainstream media is spinning this past week as the former, but I would say it's the latter. Here is what liberals have to fret about today:

1. No indictment of Karl Rove. The media has been salivating for weeks over the possibility of deputy White House chief of staff Karl Rove being indicted in the Plame CIA leak case. Today was supposed to be the big day, but Rove has not been indicted. Rove's lawyer said he was told by special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald's office that investigators had "made no decision about whether or not to bring charges" and would continue their probe into Rove's conduct. In other words, they will continue to try to find a scandal to hang on the Bush administration. They never learn.

2. Harriet Miers has withdrawn her Supreme Court nomination. I know the media is spinning this as a defeat for Bush, but it's a victory for conservatives. Bush has now been sent a message by conservatives that they want a nominee who is more qualified and likely to rule according to the constitution. We'll see who he nominates next.

3. The economy grew at a robust pace of 3.8% during the third quarter. Yes, good news for America is bad news for liberals. Liberals were predicting a major economic slowdown as the effects of hurricanes Katrina and Rita were felt. But the economy showed stronger growth during the third quarter than during the second quarter (when it grew at 3.3%), and the rate of inflation was also lower than expected.

So, don't be fooled by liberal media spin that this is "one of the darkest days of Bush's presidency". Liberals are having a far worse day than he is.

Harriet Miers withdrew her Supreme Court nomination today. This news does not surprise me. Here is the text of Miers' letter:

Dear Mr. President:

I write to withdraw as a nominee to serve as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States. I have been greatly honored and humbled by the confidence that you have shown in me, and have appreciated immensely your support and the support of many others. However, I am concerned that the confirmation process presents a burden for the White House and our staff that is not in the best interest of the country.

As you know, members of the Senate have indicated their intention to seek documents about my service in the White House in order to judge whether to support me. I have been informed repeatedly that in lieu of records, I would be expected to testify about my service in the White House to demonstrate my experience and judicial philosophy. While I believe that my lengthy career provides sufficient evidence for consideration of my nomination, I am convinced the efforts to obtain Executive Branch materials and information will continue.

As I stated in my acceptance remarks in the Oval Office, the strength and independence of our three branches of government are critical to the continued success of this great Nation.
Repeatedly in the course of the process of confirmation for nominees for other positions, I have steadfastly maintained that the independence of the Executive Branch be preserved and its confidential documents and information not be released to further a confirmation process. I feel compelled to adhere to this position, especially related to my own nomination. Protection of the prerogatives of the Executive Branch and continued pursuit of my confirmation are in tension. I have decided that seeking my confirmation should yield.

I share your commitment to appointing judges with a conservative judicial philosophy, and I look forward to continuing to support your efforts to provide the American people judges who will interpret the law, not make it. I am most grateful for the opportunity to have served your Administration and this country.

Most respectfully,
Harriet Ellan Miers

A well-written letter. However, an article in Newsmax today suggests that senators may have prompted the withdrawal. The New York Sun claims that at least two Republican senators were ready to ask the White House to withdraw the nomination. A Wednesday article in the Washington Post apparently raised some concerns. Here is what Newsmax reports:

The Sun claimed an anonymous highly-placed Republican staffer said the senators were disturbed by a report in Wednesday’s Washington Post about a Miers speech in 1993.

Miers reportedly applauded a jurisprudential move toward "self-determination” in resolving debates about law and religion.

"The ongoing debate continues surrounding the attempt to once again criminalize abortions or to once and for all guarantee the freedom of the individual woman’s right to decide for herself whether she will have an abortion,” Miers told a Dallas crowd.

"The underlying theme in most of these cases,” she continued, "is the insistence of more self-determination. The more I think about these issues, the more self-determination makes the most sense. Legislating religion or morality we gave up on a long time ago.”

Personally, I think it is for the best that Miers will not be on the Court. The Drudge Report recently suggested that the reason Bush nominated Miers was because it was considered proper for a woman to be nominated to replace Sandra Day O'Connor, and the other women on Bush's list did not wish to accept the nomination for fear of being subjected to the process. Did any of Clinton's nominees fear "the process" as much as this? A Republican president's nominees are the only ones who fear being "Borked" by the Senate. And this notion that only women can represent women is damaging to the country.

Pennsylvania is truly a blue state. This is from Newsmax.com's Insider Report:

Poll: Santorum Still Trails

Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum has fallen further behind his likely Democratic opponent in the race for his Senate seat next year, a new poll reveals.

In a match-up against Robert Casey Jr., the state treasurer, Santorum now trails 52 percent to 36 percent, with 12 percent undecided or choosing another candidate, according to the mid-October poll by Strategic Vision, LLC.

In July, a Quinnipiac University poll had put Casey ahead by a smaller margin, 50 percent to 39 percent.

Only 40 percent of those polled now say they approve of Santorum's job performance, down from 51 percent in July.

Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean has said that defeating Santorum, a leading Senate conservative, is one of the party's top priorities.

Among Republican voters in Pennsylvania who were asked their choice to challenge Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell, 38 percent said they preferred former Pittsburgh Steeler Lynn Swann; 31 percent chose former Lieutenant Governor Bill Scranton, and 15 percent selected State Senator Jeff Piccola.

But in a head-to-head match-up, Rendell defeated Swann by a 46-to-41-percent margin.

Other findings of the poll of likely voters in Pennsylvania:

- 38 percent said they wanted to see the Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade; 55 percent said no, and 7 percent were undecided.

-55 percent opposed an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, while 37 percent were in favor of a pullout.

-41 percent said they would like to see Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice run for president in 2008 and 29 percent said they would not; a large segment of those surveyed, 30 percent, were undecided.

-When Democrats were asked their choice for president in 2008, 42 percent chose Hillary Clinton. Others named include Al Gore, 12 percent; John Kerry, 11 percent; John Edwards, 5 percent.

-On the GOP side, the top choice for president in 2008 was former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who was selected by 42 percent of those polled. John McCain was second at 28 percent, while no other potential candidate garnered more than 7 percent of the vote.