From MOveOn.org ABout Miers

[Miami Vice]

Dear MoveOn member,

This morning, President Bush nominated Harriet Miers to replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor on the Supreme Court. Miers is a long-time political appointee, campaign counsel, personal lawyer and Bush loyalist who has never served as a judge.

Ex-FEMA Director Michael Brown taught us that vital national positions must be filled with qualified candidates, not political friends with limited experience. With such a thin public record, how can Americans know Harriet Miers' approach to critical issues like corporate power, privacy and civil rights?

Right now we urgently need more information, and we need your help to get it. In the next few hours the Internet will fill with facts, anecdotes and rumors about Harriet Miers. We need your help to sort through it all, select the relevant and important details, and let us know what you find—decentralized, grassroots research.

We've set up a simple web form where you can post facts and sources that will fill out the picture on what kind of Supreme Court justice Miers would be. We'll get your research to the media, the Senate and our partner groups. This info will also be crucial in setting MoveOn's course for this nomination. Even if you just have a few minutes to spare, it could help a lot at this crucial time.

You can post facts right now at:

http://www.political.moveon.org/judgefacts?id=6078-5096225-8bfkMH25uLFZBvLnzzfuJQ&t=3

Here is a quick chronology of Harriet Miers' career, courtesy of the Coalition for a Fair and Independent Judiciary, to help jump start your research.

1970—Graduated from Southern Methodist University Law School 1970-1972—Clerked for U.S. District Court Judge Joe Estes 1972-2001—Joined Texas law firm, Locke, Purnell 1985—Elected president of the Dallas Bar Association 1986-1989—Member of the State Bar board of directors 1989-1991—Elected and served one term on the Dallas City Council 1992—Elected president of the Texas State Bar 1993-1994—Worked as counsel for Bush's gubernatorial campaign 1995-2000—Appointed chairwoman of Texas Lottery Commission by Gov. George Bush 1996—Became president of Locke, Purnell, and the first woman to lead a major Texas law firm 1998—Presided over the merger of Locke, Purnell with another big Texas firm, Liddell, Sapp, Zivley, Hill & LaBoon, and became co-managing partner of the resulting megafirm, Locke Liddell & Sapp 2000—Represented Bush and Cheney in a lawsuit stemming from their dual residency in Texas while running in the Presidential primary 2001—Selected as staff secretary for President Bush 2003—Promoted to Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy 2004—Selected as White House Counsel

There are many important questions that need to be addressed, including:

What policies did she advocate for on the Dallas City Council? What was her record at the head of the scandal-ridden Texas Lottery Commission? What cases did she take on while working as a corporate lawyer in private practice, and what positions did she fight for? What has she written or said in and outside of her law practice about her views on constitutional issues like privacy, the "commerce clause" or equal protection As White House councel Alberto Gonzales played a pivotal role in softening America's stance on torture. What positions has Harriet Miers advocated for in the same role? Has she ever publicly distanced herself from George W. Bush? It's important that we move quickly in answering these questions. The Bush spin machine has been prepared for this nomination for some time and is already cranking at full speed. The strategy is to move Miers through as an enigma. We need to make sure the facts about her views are known.

This kind of decentralized research may never have been tried before at this scale. But a Supreme Court nominee with a record only the president really knows is a new national challenge. If we act quickly, we can meet that challenge together.

Please pitch in by taking some time to research today, and post what you find at:

http://www.political.moveon.org/judgefacts?id=6078-5096225-8bfkMH25uLFZBvLnzzfuJQ&t=4

Thanks for all that you do,

–Ben, Marika, Rosalyn, Joan and the MoveOn.org Political Action Team Monday, October 3rd, 2005

PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

[William Tell 2]

OK wiseguy tell me how.

I'll bet you can't.

Guys like you are always so sure of themselves.

[BigSkyFreeper]

Guys like you are always so sure of themselves.

And you're unsure of yourself?

[William Tell 2]

See what I mean. You proved my point. You did not and could not answer the question.

You are much like the liberals you despise - you live in an echo chamber unwilling and/or unable to learn anything new.