President George W Bush today launched a vigorous defense of his Supreme Court nominee, White House lawyer Harriet Miers, as he tried to quell a rebellion from conservative Republicans who questioned whether she will shift the court to the right as they desire.
At his first formal news conference in four months, Mr Bush also ruled out handing over internal White House documents on Ms Miers sought by Democrats that might shed light on her legal views. He said presidential advisers must be able to give advice without worrying it may someday be made public.
Mr Bush went to the White House Rose Garden looking to tamp down conservative criticism that by choosing Ms Miers, who is not a judge or expert on constitutional law, he missed a rare chance to pick a jurist who could replace the retiring moderate conservative Sandra Day O'Connor and give the nine-member court a conservative majority.
He rejected charges that he picked a White House crony when many other candidates were available. He said he has known her a long time and believes she shares his conservative philosophy and will do so for decades to come on the high court if confirmed by the US Senate.
"I picked the best person I could find. People know we're close. But you got to understand, because of our closeness, I know the character of the person," he said.
He added later: "She is plenty bright. ... She hasn't been, you know, one of these publicity hounds. She's been somebody (who) just quietly does her job."
Mr Bush also denied he picked Ms Miers, 60, in order to avoid a bloody Senate confirmation battle with Democrats at a time when he has been politically weakened by Iraq, the slow federal response to Hurricane Katrina and high gasoline prices.
The criticism from the right was notable because conservatives have typically rallied to his side. They were particularly alarmed at reports she was a Democrat in the 1980s, when conservative icon Ronald Reagan was president, and at comments by Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, who said yesterday that "I like Harriet Miers."
Today Reid said he had not endorsed Miers and would withhold judgment until after the Senate Judiciary Committee conducts confirmation hearings.