Senate presses for quick Miers confirmation

WASHINGTON - Hours after President Bush nominated his White House counsel, Harriet Miers, to the Supreme Court, Senate Republicans said they would press for confirmation by Thanksgiving — a tight timetable that allows fewer than eight weeks for lawmakers to review her record, hold hearings and vote.

Bush's choice to replace Justice Sandra Day O'Connor with a lawyer who has never been a judge makes it harder for both liberals and conservatives to figure out where Miers stands on issues such as abortion.

“She has devoted her life to the rule of law and the cause of justice,” Bush said, announcing his choice from the Oval Office with Miers at his side. “She will be an outstanding addition to the Supreme Court of the United States.”

If confirmed by the Republican-controlled Senate, Miers would join Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg as the second woman on the nation’s highest court and the third to serve there in its history.

Miers, 60, said she was humbled by the nod. “If confirmed, I recognize I will have a tremendous responsibility to keep our judicial system strong and to help ensure the court meets their obligations to strictly apply the laws and Constitution,” she said.

The selection of Miers came shortly before Chief Justice John Roberts took his seat on the court for the first time Monday after breezing through the nomination process. Miers helped push his nomination through the Senate.

If approved by the Senate, Miers would replace O’Connor, a critical swing vote on the court who helped uphold the right to abortion and affirmative action.

Within hours of Bush’s announcement in the Oval Office, Miers headed for the Capitol to begin courtesy calls on the senators who will vote on her nomination.

How will Democrats react?
There was a long list of staunchly conservative judges that Democrats were poised to fight, but Miers was not among them. Still, the lack of a judicial record and Miers loyalty to Bush have raised concerns among Democrats.

Sen. Patrick Leahy, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Miers’ ability to distance herself from administration objectives was key. “Ms. Miers’ views on and role in these issues will be important for the Senate to examine,” Leahy said in a statement. “It is important to know whether she would enter this key post with the judicial independence necessary when the Supreme Court considers issues of interest to this administration.”

Sen. Charles Schumer, the ranking Democrat on the Senate subcommittee for administrative oversight and the courts, said in a statement that “we know even less about Harriet Miers than we did about John Roberts and because this is the critical swing seat on the court, Americans will need to know a lot more about Miers' judicial philosophy and legal background before any vote for confirmation.”

Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid was complimentary, issuing a statement that said he likes Miers and adding “the Supreme Court would benefit from the addition of a justice who has real experience as a practicing lawyer.”

At the same time, he said he looked forward to the “process which will help the American people learn more about Harriet Miers, and help the Senate determine whether she deserves a lifetime seat on the Supreme Court.”

Reid had personally recommended that Bush consider Miers for nomination, according to several sources familiar with the president’s consultations with individual senators. Of equal importance as the White House maps its confirmation campaign is that the Nevada Democrat had warned Bush that the selection of any of several other contenders could trigger a bruising partisan struggle.

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