Miers Out, Fingers Crossed, and a CNN Poll

When Miers bowed out, there was a collective sigh of relief among conservatives and liberals alike. Everyone is awaiting the next pick. And CNN is spinning (click on the chart above for a larger view):

On the question of the philosophy of Bush's next nominee, respondents came down solidly on the side of someone who has moderate or liberal views -- with 34 percent choosing "moderate" and 24 percent picking "liberal."
Only 14 percent thought the nominee should be "very conservative" and 23 percent chose "somewhat conservative."

"Only" 14 percent thought the nominee should be "very conservative" sayeth CNN. But all respondents who said that they wanted Bush to appoint a "conservative" together make up 37 percent, quite a bit more than all who said "liberal" (24).

The question is a bit nonsensical anyway. What does CNN mean by "conservative"? And, of course, liberals want a liberal judge, and conservatives want a conservative judge. So what was the point (other than to use the poll to influence public opinion)?

Note that only one out of four of Americans want a liberal justice appointed. But the likes of Justices Ginsburg, Breyer, Stevens, and Souter comprise almost half the court's composition. So maybe Bush should appoint a conservative to balance the Court and give the American people what they supposedly want. At least that logic is no more flawed than CNN's.