I read this summary on a site this morning: "Not enough credentials for the old-schoolers in the Senate, not enough red meat for the freepers. "
The vocal right wants someone like J. R. Brown in order to stick it to "the liberals". IMO, "the liberals" would like to see this, too, for the simple reason of having a nutter be exposed in the hearings and to justify a filibuster, on their terms. I think the hater-types on the left wanted Miers to get as far as the hearings as well, in order for her to be exposed, thus justifiying rejecting her on their terms.
Bush could take the opinion that with Miers, the nutters had their chance and blew it, therefore he can nominate someone like Gonzales. Or, he can see it that he now needs to shore up the nutters by giving them what they wanted all along, someone like Brown or Luttig. I'm not sure how it will go, I think it depends on how much influence Karl Rove has left on things. Karl was never really "in" with the nutters, he only used them, but I'm thinking he has no use for them anymore.