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Jed, I can't speak for Wlady, but our discussion may have blurred the distinction between our personal patience and the conservative movement's patience. For the conservative movement, the tank's just about on empty. This could blow over, especially with a stellar performance by Miss Miers in the confirmation hearings. And W. has also tossed conservatives a bone this week on offsets -- the Republican Study Committee was excited about his speech Tuesday to put it lightly. Again, this isn't where I am, this is just my assessment from talking to folks. Maybe our perspective is skewed from within the Beltway. But our Reader Mail from the heartland shows little difference in the level of outrage.

Speaking for myself, I still like the guy. I remembered today those tense moments last October, hoping like nothing else for re-election. This is who we voted for. We knew the warts then, from the prescription drug benefit and No Child Left Behind to campaign finance. And he's had a solid pro-life record. Besides his August 2001 stem cell speech, he's at his strongest when discussing life issues. The Miers nomination was a disappointment. It's even more worrisome in terms of the White House's attitude toward the folks who brought them to the dance. But RET (below) said it well, as did John Fund today in the Political Diary:

While skepticism of Ms. Miers is justified, the time is fast approaching when such expressions should be muted until the Senate hearings begin. At that point, Ms. Miers will finally be able to speak for herself. And those on both sides of the political spectrum will be able to make a more informed judgment.