IF THE NOMINEE IS HARRIET, YOU MUST NOT VET

NRO: The Corner ^ | October 19, 2005 | Rich Lowry

[Cautor]

Documents released Tuesday by the Senate Judiciary Committee reveal that the Bush administration's vetting of Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers was controlled by a few insiders, a stark contrast to what Chief Justice John Roberts experienced as a contender for a court seat two months earlier.

On a questionnaire from the committee, Miers — the White House counsel and a longtime friend of President Bush — gave new insight into how she was chosen by Bush after she initially helped lead the search for a successor to Sandra Day O'Connor.

Miers, 60, said that during the two weeks before Bush nominated her Oct. 3, she spoke with her deputy William Kelley, White House chief of staff Andy Card and the president and learned "my name was under consideration." She said she met with Bush four times — on Sept. 21, 28 and 29, and Oct. 2 — to discuss the possibility of her being nominated. Miers said Card arranged a dinner on the night of Oct. 2 for her, the president and first lady Laura Bush.

Miers indicated she was not interviewed by several others who are usually involved in vetting Supreme Court candidates, including officials at the Justice Department, Vice President Cheney and deputy chief of staff Karl Rove...

But the process Miers described contrasts with what Roberts and other high court nominees went through in recent decades. Roberts was interviewed by Rove, Cheney, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, Card and Cheney's chief of staff, I. Lewis Libby. Roberts also was interviewed by Miers and Kelley.

[dangus]

My point was that she DID address the issue of nullification four times; but she didn't condemn it in name because it isn't always bad. It's as if someone announced that murder is evil, and was attacked for not having denounced killing.