You're assuming quite a bit there, with very little justification. It makes no sense that he would have recommended her to the President, knowing how closely the President knows her, if he himself didn't know her from a hole in the wall. He might as well have "CYA'd" himself with a "Kick Me" sign.
Therefore, he is doing it to CYA.
CYA mode would have been manifested by what I described at #47.
Ah, so Reid has been getting secret coded information from Miers that say, "We've got 'im Harry-poo! It took many long years, but I finally got Bush to nominate me to SCOTUS! Ready to turn hard left, soon, baby."