Chicago Trib's Jim Warren: Conservatives Never Satisfied, So Bush Should Lie to Them?

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The opposition from the religious right faced by the fictional Republican presidential candidate on NBC's The West Wing, symbolizes for Jim Warren, the former Washington Bureau Chief for the Chicago Tribune who is now a Deputy Managing Editor for the paper, how real-life conservatives, upset over the Harriet Miers pick, will never be satisfied. On Tuesday's Hardball on MSNBC, Warren admired how the fictional drama's Alan Alda character “confronts a top Christian Right official who insists on a public pledge that Alan Alda, if elected President, will only pick anti-abortion judges to the federal court. And Alan Alda, seeing the world as much more complicated, declines to do that.” Warren asked and answered his own question: “Why is that relevant? I think it's relevant because just like Bill Clinton could never satisfy his left, it seems that Bush can never satisfy a group for whom he has cut taxes, delivered Saddam Hussein on a platter, done what they want on late term abortion and stem cell research, come out against gay marriage and picked a whole lot of conservative judges.”

Full transcript of his proposition, and the West Wing scene, follows.

Sunday's West Wing, an October 10 NewsBusters item recounted, had the head of the "American Christian Assembly" telling Drudge that “Arnie Vinick,” the GOP prsidential candidate played by Alda, promised to appoint only pro-life judges, a pledge “Vinick” had made. Explaining it to his upset staff, “Vinick” admits: "I lied to a liar. Miserable little," Vinick's voice trails off as he slams a folder down and stands up: "He's what's wrong with this party. He's the problem, not me! Tell that lying little creep the United States Senate gets to advise and consent on judges, not the clergy. If his gang wants to have a say in picking judges, tell him to run for the Senate."

Back to Warren on Hardball, I'd point out that conservatives have been disappointed in Bush for some very non-conservative policies, including giving the federal government a greater role in schools, pushing a huge new entitlement programs and proposing and approving massive spending hikes.

Warren appeared from Chicago on the October 11 Hardball aired live at 5pm EDT and re-run at 7pm EDT. During a segment with NBC's Andrea Mitchell on the status of the Miers nominaton, Warren asserted:

“At the risk, Chris, of sending your self image to new and Olympian heights, I have to refer to your very fine self-portrayal the other night on the NBC show West Wing which I think, the interesting scene there is relevant to what's going on here. The Republican presidential candidate, played by Alan Alda, confronts a top Christian Right official who insists on a public pledge that Alan Alda, if elected President, will only pick anti-abortion judges to the federal court. And Alan Alda, seeing the world as much more complicated, declines to do that. Why is that relevant? I think it's relevant because just like Bill Clinton could never satisfy his left, it seems that Bush can never satisfy a group for whom he has cut taxes, delivered Saddam Hussein on a platter, done what they want on late term abortion and stem cell research, come out against gay marriage and picked a whole lot of conservative judges. But you've got the likes of Pat Buchanan who is still bashing him.”

Andrea Mitchell tried to correct him: “I don't want to play TV critic here, but I think Alan Alda did cave in and did give him that secret assurance.”

Warren accurately clarified: “No he lied to him, the point was he lied.”

A lying President. Haven't we tried that already?