Have you noticed the talk surrounding the Miers nomination has shifted sharply to withdrawal? And finding President Bush an acceptable way out? The blogs and the pundits are now all about withdrawal, and although the White House is denying it, we have reports of movement there, too:

"White House senior staff are starting to ask outside people, saying, 'We're not discussing pulling out her nomination, but if we were to, do you have any advice as to how we should do it?' " a conservative Republican with ties to the White House told The Washington Times yesterday.

The latest news about Miers' history does not help her case. WaPo is reporting that as President of the Texas Bar Association, she endorsed race- and gender-based diversity initiatives:

During her tenure, she championed the cause of increasing the number of female and minority lawyers in the bar's own leadership ranks and in law firms across the state, writing that "we are strongest capitalizing on the benefits of our diversity."

Miers was a believer in mentoring programs, but during her tenure she and the board of directors went further, passing a resolution urging Texas law firms to set a goal of hiring one qualified minority lawyer for every 10 new associates. The directors also reiterated support for a policy of setting aside a specific number of seats on the board for women and minorities.

Although Miers was not the author of either policy, she never objected to them, according to tapes of the meetings, and numerous board members who served with her said she fully supported both efforts.

Couple this from news earlier in the week about Miers' endorsement of a constitutional amendment to ban abortion, and you have to wonder: could President Bush have selected a nominee more tailored to offend everyone?

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