On CNN a few minutes ago, Texas Sen. John Cornyn insisted that Harriet Miers' nomination died as a result of pressure from "pundits" rather than from Republican senators -- and that Miers, not George W. Bush, made the decision to bail out. "The president didn't go to her and say, 'Let me withdraw your nomination,'" Cornyn said. "She went to him."
Sources tell the National Journal's Hotline that it played out a little differently. Late yesterday, the Hotline says, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist told White House Chief of Staff Andy Card "in no uncertain terms that Miers would probably not be confirmed ... After that call, according to White House sources, Bush and Card met privately with Miers, and they decided jointly that preserving White House privilege on documents was too important a principle to risk. Miers officially informed Bush at 8:30 pm ET."
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