Cronyism and political stupidity

Conservatives have by and large been able to dismiss the charges of cronyism leveled at President Bush by the left. In the last few weeks, that has become something conservatives have been less and less willing to defend the President against. Today's nomination of Miers stinks of it, and some conservatives have started to criticize the President on it. A tag can stick to a President when both sides of the political spectrum use it, so cronyism is now a part of the Bush legacy. Nominating Miers was politically stupid. If the President wanted to be a lame duck by the end of his first year of his second term, why'd he bother running for re-election?