Quote of note: 

Most presidents would want their cronies to have some reasonably impressive legal credentials before ascending to the high court. But Bush seems to harbor a principled disdain for meritocracy. Cronyism is one of his core values.

In a wonderful 2000 New Yorker profile, Nicholas Lemann wrote that Bush attended Yale at the time its admissions policies were being transformed. Traditionally, it had been dominated by prep school alumni, whether or not they had the best grades. Traditionalists said this emphasized good character above mere book smarts. In practice, it resulted in affirmative action for children of the WASP elite. Andover, Bush's alma mater, usually sent at least three dozen graduates to Yale every year.

Cronyism as a core value
Even conservatives can see that Bush, in choosing Miers, is no fan of meritocracy.
Jonathan Chait
October 7, 2005

OF ALL THE despondent conservative reactions to Harriet E. Miers' Supreme Court nomination, my favorite came from National Review editor Rich Lowry, who quoted a source he described as a "very pro-Bush legal type." The source complained that Miers is "not even second rate, but third rate," and proceeded to despair that "a crony at FEMA is one thing, but on the high court it's something else entirely."

The Supreme Court, you see, is important. What bad could come of having a crony at FEMA? Oh, right.

The conservative schism over the Miers nomination has opened an interesting intellectual fault line on the right. Conservatives have long found cultural populism to be one of the most effective weapons in their arsenal. When you're stuck defending the interests of the super-rich, it's quite useful to position yourself against the educated snobs and phonies.

For most conservatives, this is a useful cynical ploy, one that helped elect President Bush twice. But Bush actually believes it.