CNN "The Situation Room" - Transcript

Interview

CNN "The Situation Room" - Transcript

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

BLITZER: Here's a look at some of the "Hot Shots" coming in from our friends over at The Associated Press. Pictures like -- they'll be in your hometown newspaper's tomorrow.

In Pakistan, villagers struggle to get on an army helicopter to be evacuated from an earthquake-devastated area. The U.N. warning that thousands more could die if food, water and shelter aren't brought in immediately.

To Israel now, a young man cries for his grandfather, who was killed by a suicide bomber in Hadera yesterday.

In South Africa, trains collide. These two passenger trains hit head-on. Amazingly, no one was killed, but 10 people remain hospitalized.

Over in England, beavers set free. They've been extinct there since the 12th century. Six beavers were let go today in hopes of repopulating the country.

That's the day's "Hot Shots" -- pictures worth a thousand words.

Back now to our top story, the withdrawal of the embattled Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers. Earlier, we heard from the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Patrick Leahy.

Now, let's get a key Republican on that panel and get his perspectives. Senator John Cornyn of Texas joining us. Senator, thanks very much for joining us.

SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R-TX), JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: Thanks, Wolf.

BLITZER: You were one of her big advocates, you strongly supported her nomination. How disappointed are you?

CORNYN: Well, I'm disappointed, not in the nominee in Harriet Miers, but I'm disappointed in the unfairness of the process.

There's some who said they didn't know enough about her. My response to that is, well I hope you'll get to know her and one of most important parts of that process is the hearing itself. Of course, because of the, really the nastiness of this process, the nominee decided to withdraw even before she had a chance to be heard.

BLITZER: The Democrats are all blaming what they call extremists in the Republican Party. Listen to what Senator Dick Durbin, your Democratic colleague from Illinois, told us earlier here in THE SITUATION ROOM.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. RICHARD DURBIN (D-IL), MINORITY WHIP: The good reason given by the White House for the Miers withdrawal was the document issue. The real reason of course was the opposition from the radical right wing of the Republican Party.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Was the nastiness all coming from your own party?

CORNYN: I think more than party people, it was some of the pundits here in Washington that a lot of people pay attention to -- who, as you know, called for her to -- called it a bad nomination and called for her withdrawal early on.

I know Senator Durbin and others are trying to sell this idea that this is somehow a response to hard right wing groups.

But the fact is, this president has a consistent record of nominating judicial conservatives or what I would call someone with a traditional judicial philosophy who believes you shouldn't legislate from the bench. I thought she was cut from that same cloth. But unfortunately she didn't have the chance to really get to be known by the American people, or really by the Senate.

BLITZER: The president, as you know, has a reputation for being fiercely loyal to his friends, his supporters. Do you feel let down they didn't fight, perhaps, as hard for her in the face of this onslaught from conservative pundits as you call them?

CORNYN: Well, Wolf, I got the sense from talking to Harriet Miers this morning that this was a personal decision of hers. The president didn't go to her and say, will you allow me to withdraw your nomination? She went to him, saying she didn't want to be a distraction. This was never about Harriet Miers or seeking high office. Really, she just wanted to serve. And he reluctantly accepted that resignation.

So I think, you know -- here again I think it's part of this unnecessarily nasty and too often mean process, chewing up good people and perhaps discouraging good people from wanting to serve in the future.

BLITZER: One of those conservative pundits who led the fight against Harriet Miers was just on this program. David Frum, the president's former speechwriter. He says, though, he would welcome your name as a possible nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court. You're smiling, but a lot of people are mentioning your name.

CORNYN: Well, of course, I'm flattered. Who wouldn't be? But the president's got a long list of highly qualified people and I'm loving my job here in the United States Senate. But I'm confident that the president, the White House, will name a new nominee, perhaps in just a matter of days. So we can get on with our business and the Supreme Court can get back in business as well.

BLITZER: Well, if they came to you, would you be open to it?

CORNYN: Well, Wolf, you know, if the president calls, I'll certainly answer the phone. Or if he asks me to come see him, I'll be glad to go see him at White House. But the truth is, I love doing what I'm doing. And I'm really -- I really think he can do better than me.

BLITZER: Well, a lot of people like you. When you say, though -- my ears as a reporter perk up -- when you say you suspect that maybe within a matter of days, he'll come up with a new name, do you have any sense that he's already got a name in mind?

CORNYN: Well, I don't know how reliable it is, but I have been told from sources I consider to be reliable that it will be a matter of days and not week or months. And of course, the Supreme Court is currently in session and Sandra Day O'Connor has -- indicated she doesn't intend to stay there forever, but until a successor is confirmed.

And there are problems if, in fact, there is a new nominee confirmed, let's say in the middle of the term. In close cases, they won't be able to decide those cases and we'll have to re-argument and put them off to the next year. So I think we need to get to work.

BLITZER: Anyone spoken to you about it yet from -- on behalf of the president?

CORNYN: No. Just -- we've been talking among my Senate colleagues, but not -- nothing from the president directly.

BLITZER: One final question about the importance of naming a woman. There are two on the Supreme Court out of nine right now, but Sandra Day O'Connor is leaving. Is it important, as the first lady keeps saying, that a woman should be on the Supreme Court to fill that Sandra Day O'Connor seat?

CORNYN: Well the first -- the matter of first importance to me is that it be quality nominee and somebody who's well-qualified, and secondly, somebody who believes in a traditional judicial philosophy that judges don't legislate or aren't the primarily policy-makers in our form of government. But I think it would be a real plus if it were a woman. And, fortunately there's a number of them that I think would be qualified to do this job.

BLITZER: Senator John Cornyn, a member of the Judiciary Committee, Thanks, Senator, for joining us.

CORNYN: Thank you, Wolf.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source