Harriet Miers death watch

The fourth estate is a self-important bunch, and its columnists have the greatest delusions about the weight and gravity of their off-gassing. Yet every once in a while, words do affect (and even effect) deeds.

And so, without any further yammering of my own, I present to you excerpts from today's column by the NYT's David Brooks (subscription required). Titled "In Her Own Words," Brooks's piece offers selected quotes from the writings of Harriet Miers, which she penned for The Texas Bar Journal:

--"More and more, the intractable problems in our society have one answer: broad-based intolerance of unacceptable conditions and a commitment by many to fix problems."

--"When consensus of diverse leadership can be achieved on issues of importance, the greatest impact can be achieved."

--"An organization must also implement programs to fulfill strategies established through its goals and mission. Methods for evaluation of these strategies are a necessity. With the framework of mission, goals, strategies, programs, and methods for evaluation in place, a meaningful budgeting process can begin."

--"We have to understand and appreciate that achieving justice for all is in jeopardy before a call to arms to assist in obtaining support for the justice system will be effective. Achieving the necessary understanding and appreciation of why the challenge is so important, we can then turn to the task of providing the much needed support."

Miers hasn't just micturated on the grave of Strunk and White; she has desecrated the whole cemetery. Did the busy bar president farm out her column to a random memo-generating machine? Does it matter? Call it an extra-judicial killing or a literary assassination: Brooks has done a number on the nominee.