Some conservatives not thrilled by Miers

A ‘safe choice’ candidate?
At first glance, Miers record does not give the Democrats a clear ideological target. Her views on abortion, gay rights and the death penalty may not be deeply held and, for now, remain unknown.

Asked after meeting with Miers for an hour Monday whether she had any views on detainees at Guantanamo, the death penalty or other high-profile constitutional issues, Judiciary Committee chairman Sen Arlen Specter, R-Pa., said, "I do not think she has taken positions on those issues. .... Her practice has not involved any of those issues."

He seemed to imply that Miers might need time to become conversant with those issues: "One of the things I talked to her about was the complexity of the Supreme Court nomination hearing, because there are a lot of complicated issues.... I said to her, 'take a look at the situation and make an evaluation as to what time you need.' It is as much a matter of what time Miss Miers needs as it is to how much time senators need."

A $1,000 contribution to Al Gore
One thing that is documented is Miers's political contributions. Miers has donated thousands of dollars to Republican candidates during the past 15 years, including to President Bush's campaigns. But in 1988, Miers contributed $1,000 to Al Gore's campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination.

She also donated to the Democratic National Committee in 1988 and to Sen. Lloyd Bentsen, a Texas Democrat, in 1987, according to the Federal Election Commission and the Center for Responsive Politics.

Last week, Walter Dellinger, a leading Democratic lawyer and former top official in the Justice Department in the Clinton administration, raised the specter of an "illegitimate" confirmation.

Dellinger said, “I am quite worried that we may be headed for a train wreck, if someone were nominated who would provoke a filibuster” and then the Senate voted to ban judicial filibusters.

“I would hate to see us enter a legitimacy debate about whether a justice was properly confirmed or not… with reverberations back to the 2000 election. That would be a most unfortunate train wreck,” Dellinger added.

It remains to be seen whether such threats from the Democrats intimidated Bush into choosing a non-ideological nominee or whether Miers will turn out to be a committed judicial conservative in the mold of Thomas and Scalia.

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