White House Shifts Its Lobbying (Miers) Strategy (Santorum not thrilled with the nomination)

White House Shifts Its Lobbying Strategy

By Peter Baker

Washington Post Staff Writer

Saturday, October 15, 2005; Page A07

Acknowledging that the campaign for Miers had slipped out of their control, the advisers said they will seek to validate her credentials for the high court through a series of media appearances, newspaper opinion pieces and letters of support from various people who have known the White House counsel during her previous career as a corporate lawyer and bar association leader in Texas.

Bush plans to host former judges from Texas at the White House on Monday to highlight their support of Miers. "Together we represent 34 years of experience on the Texas Supreme Court," former state chief justices Joe R. Greenhill, John L. Hill Jr. and Thomas R. Phillips wrote in a letter sent to the Senate yesterday. "We feel confident that we know what it takes to be a justice -- Harriet Miers exceeds that mark."

The latest doubts voiced by a prominent conservative came from Sen. Rick Santorum (Pa.), chairman of the Senate Republican Conference and the chamber's third-ranking GOP leader. Santorum, who trails a Democratic challenger in polls heading into next year's election, said in response to a question during a stop in Pennsylvania on Thursday that he had not made up his mind how he would vote on Miers and took a jab at Bush for choosing her.

"I don't know yet," Santorum said, according to an account yesterday in the Public Opinion newspaper of Chambersburg, Pa. "But I am concerned President Bush nominated someone who is a blank slate. I'm disappointed he wanted to nominate someone like that instead of someone with a record."

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