What happened
President Bush this week nominated White House counsel Harriet Miers to fill the vacant seat on the Supreme Court. A fellow Texan and born-again Christian, Miers, 60, was formerly Bush's personal lawyer, and headed the selection committee vetting his potential judicial nominees. If confirmed, she would be the first nominee since William Rehnquist to ascend to the nation's highest court without ever having served as a judge. The president's political base, which was hoping for one of a half-dozen prominent conservative jurists, initially reacted to Miers' nomination with dismay. 'œI can understand people not, you know, knowing Harriet,' Bush said. But he said Miers was 'œplenty smart' and a strong constitutional conservative. 'œI picked the best person I could find.'
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