Over at Bench Memos, Ed Whelan is calling for Miers to withdraw. That is an important sign. Ed is a former Scalia law clerk and the head of the Ethics and Public Policy Center. He is an informed and highly influential figure in conservative legal circles, and he has been rightly cautious and deliberate in the Miers matter. Ed’s opinion is taken very seriously in DC, and the fact that he has now come out so openly and forcefully against Miers signals that this is a key moment. The Miers speeches have killed this nomination. It is imperative that the White House recognize this just as quickly as possible.