RE: This is what 'advice and consent' means

I disagree with Ann in this article.

I don't completely agree or disagree with her. If she just thumped Miers for going to SMU and left it at that, it would be elitism. However, she makes some pretty clear, and for Ann, bombast-free arguments for why someone from an elite law school is probably better suited for the job.

Put it another way: If you were going in for brain surgery, would you prefer the doctor who graduated from Arizona State or the doctor who graduated from Duke?

You also have to consider the point she makes in asserting that actual conservatives (and originalists) who went to elite law schools are more likely to be able to defend against the polemics of the left.

And then there is her very valid point about snubbing the eminently qualified candidates available. She's really mostly angry because Bush blinked and he has sandbagged everyone who supported him on the strength of his potential SCOTUS nominees.

I will admit this isn't one of Ann's better articles. I think she's let her annoyance color her writing.