So, what do we know about Harriett Miers?

[Skinner]

I'll be honest, I've never heard of her, and I'm guessing that most DUers are in the same boat. It would be really helpful if people could collect everything we know about her into one place (this thread), so people like me can educate themselves.

So.... What do we know about Harriett Miers?

[mzteris]

1. Harry Reid

thinks she's a good idea. :shrug:

[crispini]

8. Where did you hear that?

We need to set him straight. One of the biggest scandals (which was all hushed up) occured on her watch as Lottery Chair.

[TheFarseer]

I heard on the radio she was lottery chair

and thought that's a scandal waiting to happen. How many people bought a ticket and thought they were funding schools or building the pot, when actually they were funding republican campaigns, keeping 'Arbusto' afloat or enriching Halliburton? I don't know what happened, but I imagine I will find out soon.

[mzteris]

18. One guy was fired

because he started investigating TX senate "contributions" without her knowledge.....

[mzteris]

17. some of the press

stories I've been reading.

I've been trying to look at MSM, as well as liberal and conservative websites.

[Mutley]

90. Here it is in one spot.

http://dailykos.com/story/2005/10/3/115019/566

[donheld]

110. Thanks for posting, That's and important read

She really is deep inside the Bushie pocket, it looks like to me.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

104. What is her involvement in the PLAME AFFAIR?

As Bush's Chief Counsel in the White House replacing Alberto Gonzalez, I would imagine she's been neck deep in the Rove matter, especially in counseling Mr. Bush on how to handle the press and word his press statements.

With pending indictments potentially reaching well into the White House staff, I find it absolutely astonishing that Bush would choose to appoint an important member of his White House staff at this time.

[klyon]

161. He may need a friend on the court if his legal problems grow

but if a case involving George comes before the court she should sit it out but will she?

KL

[Cha]

119. If that's true then

it sounds like our dems need to dig below the surface when they're approving someone for supreme court justice for freakin' life.

[TaleWgnDg]

162. Uuummmm, with all due respect to Harry Reid . . .

.

Uuuuummmmm, with all due respect to Harry Reid, after all, U.S. Senator Reid (D, NV) is anti-abortion . . .

However, is the new SCOTUS nominee Harriet E. Miers anti-abortion too? Thus, Reid may be "over-looking" this important issue? And if Ms. Miers is anti-abortion, is she also anti-death w/ dignity too? And, how about stem cell research particularly therapeutic cloning stem cell research? You see, all these issues are legally inter-related u/ Roe v. Wade. Will Ms. Miers toss out the basis in law to all these cases if she sits on SCOTUS? She would be the swing vote to "yes" or "no" these very important medical, scientific, and "social" issues . . .

In other words, does Ms. Miers' religion interfere with her objectivity if she decides these vital SCOTUS cases?

Is the wearing of a Christian cross around her neck symbolize something re extreme rightwingnut religion-into-law issues? Is it code for something? We all know that GeorgeW loves to speak in "code" words . . . is she? Does she emulate GeorgeW that closely?

HELLO, HARRY REID?????????




.

[tanyev]

2. TX Lottery/GTECH/Ben Barnes

Lottery Commission
Upon taking office in 1995, Gov. Bush appointed his personal lawyer, Harriet Miers ($22,000 to Bush’s gubernatorial campaigns), to watch over the Texas Lottery Commission. The Texas Lottery is intertwined with ex-Texas Speaker and Lieutenant Governor Ben Barnes. In 1991, Barnes lobbied to create the Texas Lottery. The next year Barnes became arguably the highest paid lobbyist in Texas history. Gtech—the only contractor that the Texas Lottery has ever had—agreed to pay Barnes annual fees of up to $3.2 million. Barnes kicked back one-third of this money to a Gtech executive who was convicted in 1996 of taking New Jersey lobby kickbacks. In a further revolving-door scandal, Gtech hired top Bush aides Cliff Johnson and Reggie Bashur as lobbyists as they exited the Governor’s Office. In the wake of these scandals, Gtech paid $23 million to buy Barnes out of his lobby contract and the Lottery Commissioners rebid Gtech’s contract. Gtech simply won the contract again. Gtech paid $300,000 in 1999 to settle a lawsuit by ex-Texas Lottery Director Lawrence Littwin. Littwin alleged that the commissioners fired him for digging into Gtech’s political influence. He said the company controlled the commissioners because of what Barnes knew about Bush’s military service. As House Speaker in 1968, Barnes wrote a letter to help get young George W. Bush a coveted spot in the Texas Air National Guard—far from the Vietnamese rice paddies.
http://www.tpj.org/docs/2000/10/reports/appointments/boards.html

[tanyev]

4. More:

The Bushies' concern began while he was running for a second term as governor. A hard-nosed Dallas lawyer named Harriet Miers was retained to investigate the issue; state records show Miers was paid $19,000 by the Bush gubernatorial campaign. She and other aides quickly identified a problem--rumors that Bush had help from his father in getting into the National Guard back in 1968. Ben Barnes, a prominent Texas Democrat and a former speaker of the House in the state legislature, told friends he used his influence to get George W a guard slot after receiving a request from Houston oilman Sid Adger. Barnes said Adger told him he was calling on behalf of the elder George Bush, then a Texas congressman. Both Bushes deny seeking any help from Barnes or Adger, who has since passed away. Concerned that Barnes might go public with his allegations, the Bush campaign sent Don Evans, a friend of W's, to hear Barnes's story. Barnes acknowledged that he hadn't actually spoken directly to Bush Sr. and had no documents to back up his story. As the Bush campaign saw it, that let both Bushes off the hook. And the National Guard question seemed under control.

So far, intriguing...but it gets better, and more complicated. At roughly the same time all of this was happening, Miers was also the Bush-named chair of the scandal-plagued Texas Lottery Commission. The biggest issue before Miers and the commission was whether to retain lottery operator Gtech, which had been implicated in a bribery scandal. Gtech's main lobbyist in Texas in the mid-1990s? None other than that same Ben Barnes who had the goods on how Bush got into the Guard and avoided Vietnam.

In 1997, Barnes was abruptly fired by Gtech. That's a bad thing, right? Well, on the other hand, they also gave him a $23 million severance payment. A short time later, Gtech -- despite the ongoing scandals -- got its contract renewed over two lower bidders. A former executive director thought the whole thing stunk:

The suit involving Barnes was brought by former Texas lottery director Lawrence Littwin, who was fired by the state lottery commission, headed by Bush appointee Harriet Miers, in October 1997 after five months on the job. It contends that Gtech Corp., which runs the state lottery and until February 1997 employed Barnes as a lobbyist for more than $3 million a year, was responsible for Littwin's dismissal.
http://www.pnionline.com/dnblog/attytood/archives/cat_national.html

[Name removed]

39. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Czolgosz]

98. Still more about the Texas Lottery scams

San Antonio Express-News

The Texas Lottery Commission calls its 83 scratch-off games "fun." A lawsuit filed in Corpus Christi says the games perpetrate "fraud." A reasonable person could believe the Texas Lottery Commission if you redefine "fun" to mean "suckered and ticked off."

People don't know that much of the cash they're scratching for already has been claimed. One game, "Casino Action," offers a top prize of $1 million. That prize has been claimed, but tickets for the game are still being sold. Another game, "$500,000 Payday," offers a top prize of, you guessed it, half a million dollars. That prize has been claimed, but tickets for the game are still being sold.

Casino Action and $500,000 Payday aren't anomalies. Tickets are being sold for 22 scratch-off games whose top prizes have been claimed.

More at: http://www.lottoreport.com/061104expressnews.htm

[mzteris]

62. more details on campaign contribution investigation firing

(21) Mr. Littwin continued a previously initiated
investigation into, among other things, alleged unlawful campaign
contributions made by GTech Corporation, through various
subterfuges, in violation of the contract;

(22) ultimately, Mr. Littwin was instructed by Harriet
Miers, John Hill, and Anthony Sadberry, members of the Texas
Lottery Commission, to stop the investigation;

(23) the investigation was never completed;

(24) the Texas Lottery Commission did not take any
action and to the best of Mr. Littwin's information and belief,
GTech Corporation has never been forced to cure these breaches or
pay these penalties;

(25) Mr. Littwin was terminated on October 29, 1997,
only five months after Mr. Littwin had been hired;

(26) the commission members did not provide a reason
for his dismissal other than to say they had "lost confidence" in
him;

(27) Mr. Littwin's personnel files list the reason for
his termination as "reasons unknown" and none of the commission
members would explain what that actually meant;

(28) following Mr. Littwin's dismissal, Linda Cloud
was named executive director of the commission;

(29) Ms. Cloud quietly canceled the request for
proposal, leaving the contract with GTech Corporation despite the
fact that GTech Corporation was not the successful bidder;

(30) the audit of GTech Corporation that Mr. Littwin
contracted for was never performed;

(31) the Texas Lottery Commission never forced GTech
Corporation to pay the liquidated damages under the contract;

(32) the investigation of illegal contributions to
state officials has never been completed;

(33) a report prepared and completed by Mr. Littwin
discussing material problems with the Texas Lottery Commission was
never disclosed to the public; and

(34) Mr. Littwin's termination did not come as a
result of poor job performance, but rather, his attempts to uphold
the laws of the state and eradicate inappropriate activities by the
Texas Lottery Commission and GTech Corporation; now, therefore, be
it


http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/tlo/76R/billtext/HC00153I.HTM

[Mass]

3. She is a Bush zealot - that should be enough to disqualify her.

Enough cronyism.

[TaleWgnDg]

175. Well? Try this . . .

.

http://media.law.harvard.edu:8888/ramgen/deans_forum/2005_10_03_dean_supremecourt.rm (RealVideo®, 34Kbps, 1 hour, 27 minutes, 40 seconds, RealPlayer® required)

Harvard Law School (Harvard Law School Instructional Services) "the Dean's Forum" on October 4, 2005 at Langdell Hall, Harvard Law School, panel discussion regarding GWBush SCOTUS nominee Harriet E. Miers, recent SCOTUS decisions, and upcoming SCOTUS cases, moderated by Harvard Law School Dean Elena Kagan (former clerk to SCOTUS Justice Thurgood Marshall) and featured on panel L to R: (1) Harvard Law School Professor David Barron, (2) Harvard Law School Professor Charles Fried, (3) Harvard Law School Professor Martha Field, and (4) Harvard Law School Professor Richard Fallon -- all experts in constitutional law.

Recent decisions discussed included the controversial Kelo v. Connecticut land use case and the split decision on the use of religious symbols on government property. Looking ahead, the professors cited three cases as particularly noteworthy: the Oregon assisted suicide case, a constitutional challenge to campaign finance reform and the upcoming case on the Solomon Amendment, a law that bars federal funding to universities that restrict military recruiting on campus.

http://www.law.harvard.edu/news/2005/10/04_court.php
.

This is an excellent panel discussion by experts in constitutional law. I highly recommend it.

.

[MadisonProgressive]

5. She's never been a judge and she's a far-right whacko

[intheflow]

70. That was my question.

She's never been a judge. How in hell does that qualify her to work for the highest court in the land? If the dems aren't all over filibustering this, I'm going to DC for an intensive round of lobbying.

[question everything]

136. Not a requirement, apparently

Justices Earl Warren (appointed in 1953), Abe Fortas (appointed in 1965), Lewis Powell (appointed in 1971), and Rehnquist (appointed in 1971 by President Nixon and elivated to Chief Justice in 1986 by President Reagan), have never been judges.

[G_j]

6. some good discussion today on Democracy Now!

rush transcript will be up later in the day.

One thing I caught was that she set the precedent for blocking the release of Roberts' political memos, which now will directly effect her own situation.

www.democracynow.org

[Junkdrawer]

67. DemocracyNow also has the first hints Miers is anti-choice...

It seems that the ABA issued a leadership statement affirming a woman's right to choose. Upset, Miers organized an attempt to get the issue voted on by the full membership.

[G_j]

92. DN Transcript: the most private, and most protective members of W's circle

Monday, October 3rd, 2005
Bush Nominates Longtime Friend and Attorney Harriet Miers for Supreme Court

DEMOCRACY NOW! DAILY EMAIL DIGEST
October 3, 2005

= = = = = = = = =

TODAY'S DEMOCRACY NOW!:

* Bush Nominates Longtime Friend and Attorney Harriet Miers for Supreme
Court *

President Bush has selected White House counsel Harriet Miers to replace
retiring Suprem Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. If confirmed, Miers - who
has never served as a judge - would become the third woman to serve on the
Supreme Court. Last year, Legal Times reported that Miers "has long been one
of the most discreet, most private, and most protective members of George W.
Bush's inner circle."

Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/10/03/1353231


-Jamin Raskin, American University Law professor and author of "Overruling Democracy: The Supreme Court vs. the American People."

-Nan Aron, President of the Alliance for Justice which is a national association of public interest and civil rights organizations.

-Ted Goldman, congressional correspondent for the Legal Times. He wrote an article about Miers in December 2004 titled "Down to the Last Detail; Bush's pick for White House counsel sports an exacting style"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

RUSH TRANSCRIPT

[Mandate My Ass]

7. A good rundown on this blog-definitely conservative idiot material

Among other things, she's tied to the National Guard scandal.

http://www.pnionline.com/dnblog/attytood/archives/002383.html

[afdip]

9. she's on record as saying dubya the demigod is brilliant.

isn't that enough to disqualify her?

[tanyev]

14. Even a few Freepers had a hard time swallowing that one!

:rofl:

[Rowdyboy]

30. Heads are exploding left and right on that nasty website...

They're betrayed and pissed at the world!

[Lisa0825]

58. What I heard she said was that he was the MOST brilliant man she ever knew

She's definitely absolutely insane!!!!!

[centristo]

88. when i think of the intelligent people i know

most are able to speak in coherent sentences.


"We look forward to hearing your vision, so we can more better do our job. That's what I'm telling you." —George W. Bush, Gulfport, Miss., Sept. 20, 2005


http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/blbushisms.htm

:banghead:

[Triana]

10. Recap from a couple DU posts...

Harriet Miers was the fixer for Bush's National Guard records purge.

http://archive.democrats.com/display.cfm?id=171

Moreover, Newsweek reported on July 9, 2000 that the Bush campaign "launched a secretive research operation designed to scour all records relating to his Vietnam-era service" during preparation for Bush's 1998 re-election campaign. They paid "hard-nosed Dallas lawyer named Harriet Miers" $19,000 to review the records. According to Newsweek, one result of her work was to deflect charges that former Texas House Speaker Ben Barnes helped Bush get into the Texas Air National Guard despite low qualifications and a long waiting list. Barnes was later forced to testify under oath that he helped Bush.
_ _ _ _ _

Harriet Miers was also President of Locke Purnell Rain & Harrell- tort reform.

http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/blog/?view=archives&month=2&year=2005

Alberto Gonzales was recommended to Bush as counsel in the Texas Governorship by Harriet Miers, who has replaced Gonzales as White House counsel. Referred to by Bush as a "pit bull in size 6 shoes'', Miers is a former President of Locke, Purnell, Rain & Harrell and former chairwoman of the Texas Lottery Commission. Locke, Purnell, Rain & Harrell have given at least $65,000 to Bush campaigns and are major backers of tort reform. One case involved a unique law - passed under former Gov. George Bush - that blocked Texas consumers from recovering $6 billion in overcharges on car loans and allowed dealers to keep kickbacks secret.

Two consumer groups have called on the Texas Legislature to repeal it. Locke, Purnell, Rain & Harrell were defendants of the litigation, which included auto dealers in Texas . Miers was also Chairwoman of the Texas Lottery Commission and responsible for a chain of events involving GTech, which ran the Texas Lottery, former Lt. Governor Ben Barnes, and accusations of kick-backs and illegal contracts. Yes, that Ben Barnes, who says he helped George Bush get into the National Guard. His original deposition on that subject was given in 1999, during this Texas Lottery Commission investigation, and has been permanently sealed.

[crispini]

11. Greg Palast story on G-Tech and TX lottery here

http://www.gregpalast.com/detail.cfm?artid=19&row=3

A lot of the messy stuff occurred on her watch. Snip:

Fast forward to 1997, when GTech's licence to operate the Texas lottery faced an unprecedented threat. The state's lottery director was sacked following revelations that GTech had put her boyfriend on the company payroll while he was under indictment for bribery

A new, clean-hands direc tor, Lawrence Littwin, was appointed by the Texas Lottery Commission. He ordered an audit of GTech's accounts, ended GTech's contract and put it out for re-tender. He also launched an inquiry into GTech's political donations.

Then a funny thing happened. The Texas Lottery Commission fired Littwin. Almost immediately, the Bush-appointed commissioners cancelled the bidding for a new operator, although the winner had already been announced - and it was not GTech. The commissioners also halted the financial audit, ended the political payola investigation - and gave the contract back to GTech.

Why did the Texas government work so hard at saving GTech's licence? An unsigned letter to the US Justice Department, which was evidence in the civil suit, points to one lobbyist to whom GTech paid fees of $23 million (£14.2 million) - Barnes.

[lonestarnot]

41. EXCELLENT REPORT!

[AuntieM1957]

126. In 1996, Mier set in place the move to renew GTECH

without bids.

Here's the Austin American Statesman story from that time.

This particular group of pro-business Republicans really fear open competition, don't they?

Mark The Austin American-Statesman (TX), Jan 30, 1996 pB1
Contract for lottery might be renewed without bids; State senator. (Metro/State) Ken Herman.
COPYRIGHT 1996 The Austin American-Statesman

The chairwoman of the Texas Lottery Commission said Monday that the lucrative contract to run the state's game of chance might be renewed without competitive bidding, a prospect one state senator says should be unthinkable.

Commission Chairwoman Harriet Miers said the five-year contract signed with GTECH Corp. in 1992 includes renewal options giving the Rhode Island company first shot at keeping the contract when it expires in August 1997.

''The state ought to examine its options before renewing the contract. Otherwise, we might miss an opportunity to increase the amount of profit for our state by reducing the rate paid to the vendor,'' he said. Miers said competitive bidding is ''certainly available,'' but added, ''The question is, is it wise.''

Miers said switching lottery operators would include an ''upheaval factor.'' ''It's not like just deciding one time to buy a particular brand of paper and next time buying another brand of paper. This is a whole operation that would have to get changed out, including many, many people and a great deal of time,'' Miers said. ''You would really have to be convinced you are going to, by a bidding process, get a better transaction than you can get renegotiating with the current contractor.''

[tanyev]

12. Locke Liddell & Sapp linked to TRMPAC and questionable donations

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4956059

[crispini]

15. Snip from the Texas Observer article

Locke Liddell & Sapp
Lobbyists at Locke Liddell worked in 2002 for TRM-donors Burlington Northern, Gulf States Toyota and Houston beer distributor Silver Eagle. In 2002 Locke Liddell also employed attorney Andy Taylor, who arguably had more fingers in the 2002 election scandals than any other political operative. A one-time clerk to Texas Supreme Court Chief Justices Tom Phillips and John Hill, Taylor joined Hill at Locke Liddell before then-Attorney General John Cornyn appointed him assistant attorney general in 1999. Cornyn and Taylor then steered $800,000 in legal work to Taylor’s old firm to help vet the state’s initial efforts to redraw congressional districts after the 2000 Census.

Taylor became busier than ever after the disputed 2002 election. He advised TRM and TAB, which now were fighting civil and criminal allegations that the $2.5 million in corporate money they collectively spent to influence those elections violated Texas’ severe restrictions on corporate electioneering. (Taylor later stepped down as TRMPAC’s lawyer.) As DeLay’s redistricting plans got underway, new Attorney General Greg Abbott hired Taylor as one of his outside redistricting lawyers. Starting this gig at Locke Liddell, Taylor continued to represent the state on redistricting after launching his own firm in April 2003. Taylor’s dizzying roles in the scandals surrounding the 2002 elections prompted recurring ethical questions. In one posed during the thick of the 2003 redistricting fight, Democratic Senator Royce West asked, “Why is the AG allowing Tom DeLay’s attorney to draw the map for the state of Texas?”

http://www.texasobserver.org/showArticle.asp?ArticleID=1781

[crispini]

20. Snip from the MSNBC article

Among the contributions at issue: a $1,000 check in 2001 from superlobbyist Vin Weber, whose clients included Microsoft and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers; and $2,500 that same year from Locke Liddell & Sapp, the Texas law firm formerly headed by Harriet Miers (who was recently named White House counsel), which was then representing Burlington Northern Santa Fe. Weber told NEWSWEEK he didn't recall the contribution and wasn't aware of the rule. "The unfortunate thing is we all give so much money and we lose track of it," he said. A Locke Liddell partner also said the firm didn't know about the House rule.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6652757/site/newsweek

[struggle4progress]

118. Miers helped lead law firm that settled over clients' fraud

DAVID KOENIG

Associated Press


DALLAS - Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers was a leading figure at a major Texas law firm that paid more than $30 million to settle claims against two clients who were involved in failed investment schemes. <snip>

The investors said they were cheated in part because Locke Liddell helped make the operations look legitimate, including using a firm trust fund to direct millions in investor money to Stearns, and ignored signs of fraud. <snip>

The lawsuit over Erxleben also named Locke Liddell partners Curtis Ashmos, Daniel N. Matheson III and Jane Matheson as defendants, and the case involving Stearns named another partner, Phillip Wylie.

In 2000, Locke Liddell agreed to pay Erxleben's clients $22 million, and in 2001 it agreed to pay $8.5 million to settle claims by Stearns' customers. <snip>

http://www.dfw.com/mld/startelegram/news/state/12808673.htm

[terrya]

13. Brief bio...which says absolutely nothing about what she is, ideologically

http://www.dallasnews.com/s/dws/news/nation/stories/030305dnnatmiers.19086.html

[DrZeeLit]

16. Somebody find a picture of Beaver's mom, or Florence Henderson, because

she looks like the 50's are coming back.

I soooo hope that's not her mindset.
Doing the dishes while wearing pearls.
Oh boy.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

21. OMG! I love that photo!!!

[LTR]

19. Was a DNC donor back in the late '80's

http://www.newsmeat.com/washington_political_donations/Harriet_Miers.php

DNC SERVICES CORPORATION/DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE (D) $1,000
primary 11/03/88

GORE, AL (D)President
ALBERT GORE JR FOR PRESIDENT COMMITTEE INC $1,000
primary 02/16/88

BENTSEN, LLOYD SENATOR (D)Senate - DC
SENATOR LLOYD BENTSEN ELECTION COMMITTEE
03/30/87

[renaissanceguy]

36. But also look at the other candidates

she contributed money toward... look at their positions on the issues.

http://www.issues2000.org/Senate/Phil_Gramm.htm
http://www.issues2000.org/Senate2000/Kay_Hutchison.htm

[Dying Eagle]

100. Ed Schultz talked about that Dem money

He said most law firms donate to BOTH parties. Has nothing to do with their stance, it's just good business.

[liveoaktx]

22. Behind asserting Const Priv for keeping John G Roberts recs secret

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4955875

[liveoaktx]

23. Fixer for Bush's National Guard records purge

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4955866

[DoYouEverWonder]

24. Bush appointed Miers to Chair the TX Lottery Commission

which was then mired in scandal for the next 5 years.

[mmonk]

25. In other words, forget the moderate or conservative issue

she's ethically challenged. Therefore she's not what people should want in a justice since she tries to skirt and coverup legal questions.

[crispini]

27. Corruption, corruption...

Corruption in the society....

[Rowdyboy]

26. Washington Post gives a great outline/analysis of Ms Mier

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/03/AR2005100300305.html

[crispini]

28. Yeah, but I call bullshit on this part:

"When then-Governor Bush appointed Ms. Miers to a six-year term on the Texas Lottery Commission, it was mired in scandal, and she served as a driving force behind its cleanup."

Riiiiight.

[Rowdyboy]

37. Doesn't match some of the other things I've been hearing this morning

The Lottery scandal could make this even more interesting...

[Marie26]

76. Quote straight from White House bio

That's just a cut-and-paste from Mier's White House bio. In fact, the whole article is pretty much word-for-word repeating the bio w/no analyisis of info. It's just lazy journalism. Here's the official bio: http://www.wonkette.com/politics/harriet-miers/index.php

[FourStarDemocrat]

29. Miers argued against ABA's decision in 1992 to support abortion rights:

Taken from a post on Daily Kos, sorry no direct WSJ link.

from the Wall Street Journal:

"Legal Beat: Bar Association Votes to Back Abortion Rights" August 12, 1992


SAN FRANCISCO -- After a contentious debate, the policy-making body of the American Bar Association voted to take a pro-abortion rights position at the organization's annual meeting.

The decision by the ABA, which followed Monday's vote by convention attendees to endorse the proposal, was a victory for abortion-rights advocates. At its annual meeting two years ago, the ABA adopted a neutral position.

Before the 276-168 vote yesterday, the ABA's new president, Michael McWilliams of Baltimore, told reporters that the ABA could no longer remain neutral.

"You can't dodge an issue just because it's tough," said Mr. McWilliams, a Baltimore lawyer, in remarks to reporters. "And you can't call abortion a non-legal issue."

The ABA's perceived alliance with one side or the other in the abortion debate was a matter of concern to lawyers attending the annual meeting here this week. Both the National Abortion Rights Action League and the National Right-to-Life Committee have been closely monitoring the ABA action, spokeswomen for the groups said.

"People who support this abortionrights resolution want the prestige of the ABA behind the pro-choice movement," Texas bar President Harriet Miers said Monday, arguing against adoption of the resolution supporting abortion rights.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/10/3/71556/3735

[Mr_Spock]

33. That's interesting - perhaps she's a turncoat and a real foe

She may be the worst kind of person - former Dem who's turned into a Bush butt-licker - what kind of mind could be so small as to fall that far? A pretty sick one if you ask me...

[Lone_Star_Dem]

51. I just saw this on the Planned Parenthood site

During Miers' tenure as head of the Texas Bar Association she was a leader in the campaign to reverse the American Bar Association's pro-choice position on the right to choose. Had this campaign been successful, which it was not, the ABA would have been returned to its former position of neutrality.
http://www.plannedparenthood.org/pp2/portal/files/portal/media/pressreleases/pr-051003-miers.xml

[Little-Jen]

176. In theory, she didn't argue for a pro-life stance

She argued against a pro-choice stance. A neutral position like that doesn't bother me at all.

[DemocracyInaction]

31. Looks like she has enough material on the Bushs to qualify

Well---sounds to me like this is all about "I nominate her 'cause the broad could really expose this family"! These people are organized crime....they really are.

[crispini]

34. YEP. nt

[JohnnyBoots]

68. Like Brando nominating Robert Duval in The Godfather.

[cassiepriam]

32. All we have to know is that Bush likes her....

that says it all for me. She is another Brownie.

[Walt Starr]

35. I think we know all we really need to know

She's a Bush crony and onnce again, the Peter Principle is alive and well in the Bush Administration.

Between Roberts and Meier, I suspect we'll see the SCOTUS remade in the same ways that FEMA was remade by Brownie.

[MadHound]

38. Spot on Walt, and we'll be paying the price for this for decades

A couple of things I heard this morning on NPR: She is formerly Bushboy's personal attorney, and she has absolutely no judicial experience.

This is cronyism at its worst.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

40. Very odd choice. As B** is being critized for cronyism - he

appoints a crony. And why in the hell would B** want to dredge up his national guard service deal again? Especially in the midst of an illegal war with real patriot soldiers dying every day.

Very bizarre.

[mmonk]

42. One word

Fitzgerald

[lonestarnot]

43. He had better be holding something in his hand or game over!

Filibuster, nuclear option, blah blah blah...come on Fitzie!

[mzteris]

44. HERE'S THE REASON!!!!!!!!!

"Newsweek (July 9, 2000) reported that the Bush campaign "launched a secretive research operation designed to scour all records relating to his Vietnam-era service" while preparing for Bush's 1998 re-election campaign. They paid Dallas lawyer Harriet Miers $19,000 to review the records."


I wonder what she found, eh?


edit to add this quote, too:

“We are tired of all this speculation,” said Ari Fleischer, Karen Hughes, and Karl Rove in unison. “We paid $19,000 to a lawyer named Harriet Miers, when our candidate was running for Governor, to put a lid on this. The documents are missing. If the documents are missing, then there is nothing to back this story up. The lid is sealed.”

[soup]

47. ouch.

Thank you Skinner, and everyone for your replies on this thread. Good stuff here.

[Nostradammit]

144. Miers on the Lexis-Nexis legal advisory board

http://www2.martindale.com/company/advisory_board.html

[julialnyc]

45. I have to do more research (which I'll post),but from what I've read so far

I think she might be more of a neo-con variety of Bush loyalist (I was thinking we were going to get a fundie)

[yurbud]

46. On Democracy NOW: "Axis of Evil" writer says she's a mistake

before she was picked.

Too much of a Bush crony and loyalist.

The guy is David Frum. I'm not sure if that's a direct quote, but Amy is pretty good about research.

[Synnical]

65. She thinks Shrub is, "the most brilliant man she had ever met"

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/SupremeCourt/story?id=1170572&page=2

According to a blog by David Frum, a former speechwriter for Bush, Miers has been known for her loyalty and will not make headlines as a Supreme Court associate justice.

"In the White House that hero-worshipped the president, Miers was distinguished by the intensity of her zeal: She once told me that the president was the most brilliant man she had ever met," Frum's blog said. "She served Bush well, but she is not the person to lead the court in new directions — or to stand up under the criticism that a conservative justice must expect."

That alone makes me question her judgment.

[rateyes]

48. A gut reaction....

reading this thread and others--it sounds like the RW nut jobs are pissed at this nomination, and so are most people on the left. Perhaps Bush is putting up a "red-herring" so that when her nomination sinks, he can put up a Priscilla Owen, or nominate his buddy Alberto Gonzales.

Again, just a gut reaction, but at first blush this nomination seems to be radioactive.

[crispini]

57. I tend to agree.

She's not a winger, so of course the base isn't happy with her. AND, her connections to old dirt seem too out in the open -- how could they think we would not dig this up? Too too shady....

[Marie26]

77. Seems like an odd choice

And it brings up 2 of Bush's weak points: The National Guard & his crony appointments. Liberals won't like her, conservatives won't like her. And she reminds the public of the reasons they don't like Bushh. What was he thinking?

[Roland99]

49. Here's what I've collected so far ->>>>>

Harriet Miers headed the law firm Locke, Liddell & Sapp which has been linked to TRMPAC and questionable donations related to Tom DeLay
http://www.texasobserver.org/showArticle.asp?ArticleID=1781

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6652757/site/newsweek



The Rise of the Machine
How a small group of politicians and corporations bought themselves a legislature
http://www.texasobserver.org/showArticle.asp?ArticleFileName=030829_f1.htm
A year after the release of the scorecard, with the election less than a month away, Baxter sent out mail pieces in the district attacking Kitchen’s record on state spending. Kitchen, in order to counter what she describes as misleading information, left recorded phone messages for voters. The very next day, a TAB phone bank also left messages directing voters to call it to learn "the truth about Ann Kitchen’s spending taxes." On another occasion, Baxter sent a positive mailing outlining his stance on education. By the next day, voters received a mailer from the TAB attacking Kitchen’s position on education.

Kitchen believes these two incidents demonstrate that the TAB at some level coordinated its advocacy campaign with Baxter, which would be illegal. "On the face of it, that all required coordination of message and timing," she says.

<...>

These two incidents were both submitted by Kitchen to the grand jury in the form of an affidavit. The former representative is also a party to one of three civil suits against the TAB and TRM for their conduct during the election. It’s litigation, Andy Taylor, the TAB’s lawyer never misses a chance to characterize as "losing-candidate lawsuits."

Taylor is a prime example of the incestuous nature of the TAB/TRM effort. It extends to family members of those involved and goes all the way to the White House through Karl Rove. In 2001, Taylor worked for then-Attorney General and Rove protege John Cornyn in the Republican redistricting effort. He then left to join the law firm of Locke Liddell and Sapp that represents Texans for Lawsuit Reform. Soon after, Cornyn hired Taylor to do the same redistricting work he did as a state employee, this time paying Locke Liddell and Sapp $804,478. Now Taylor is the chief lawyer and spokesman for the TAB. He also represents TRM in the civil lawsuits. This summer, Taylor is again the state’s outside counsel on congressional redistricting.



And, look who has donated to DeLay's Legal Expense Fund (Locke, Liddell & Sapp)!
http://www.opensecrets.org/alerts/v6/delay.asp


Harriet Miers recommended "Torture" Gonzales"
http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/blog/?view=archives&month=2&year=2005
Alberto Gonzales was recommended to Bush as counsel in the Texas Governorship by Harriet Miers, who has replaced Gonzales as White House counsel. Referred to by Bush as a "pit bull in size 6 shoes'', Miers is a former President of Locke, Purnell, Rain & Harrell and former chairwoman of the Texas Lottery Commission. Locke, Purnell, Rain & Harrell have given at least $65,000 to Bush campaigns and are major backers of tort reform. One case involved a unique law - passed under former Gov. George Bush - that blocked Texas consumers from recovering $6 billion in overcharges on car loans and allowed dealers to keep kickbacks secret. Two consumer groups have called on the Texas Legislature to repeal it. Locke, Purnell, Rain & Harrell were defendants of the litigation, which included auto dealers in Texas . Miers was also Chairwoman of the Texas Lottery Commission and responsible for a chain of events involving GTech, which ran the Texas Lottery, former Lt. Governor Ben Barnes, and accusations of kick-backs and illegal contracts. Yes, that Ben Barnes, who says he helped George Bush get into the National Guard. His original deposition on that subject was given in 1999, during this Texas Lottery Commission investigation, and has been permanently sealed.



Was Harriet Miers the one who scoured and scrubbed the President's National Guard record?
http://archive.democrats.com/display.cfm?id=171


Harriet Miers linked to Texas Lottery/GTECH scandal re: Bush's National Guard Service
http://www.publicintegrity.org/report.aspx?aid=231
Miers is a Dallas-based lawyer and chairwoman of the Texas Lottery Commission. The former president of the State Bar of Texas and Dallas City Council member has done legal work for Bush and his political committee. As chair of the lottery commission, Miers came under fire when former commission executive director Lawrence Littwin sued the state's lottery operator, GTECH, for allegedly pressuring Miers to fire Littwin. Littwin and his attorneys have suggested throughout the proceedings that GTECH was allowed to keep its state lottery contract in exchange for former Texas Lt. Gov. Ben Barnes' silence. Barnes, a former GTECH lobbyist, stated under oath that he helped George W. Bush enlist in the Texas Air National Guard as an alternative to going to Vietnam 31 years ago.

[wicket]

53. Nice work!

:thumbsup:

[Roland99]

69. Thanks. Now, let's see if the "liberal" media can do what I did in 10 min

[Broken_Hero]

102. yeah, no doubt....

But they will probably find some goodie toe shoed things to dig up on her "oh she is so nice, she has a chocolate chip recipe, blah blah blah blah"....the main stream media has to be led like a stubborn child at times, to key issues/stories, and i fear that this nomination will fall in line with that.

[file83]

71. Good work there. Concerning the Delay fund...

The $2,500 donation from Locke, Liddell & Sapp was made prior to Spring 2001, right? Well, I believe Miers was still the head of LL&S at that time. I can't find out when she exactly left the firm.

[julialnyc]

50. local paper

Known for thoroughness and her low-profile, Miers is one of the first staff members to arrive at the White House in the morning and among the last to leave.

When Bush named her White House counsel in November 2004, the president described Miers as a lawyer with keen judgment and discerning intellect -- "a trusted adviser on whom I have long relied for straightforward advice."

He also joked of Miers, "When it comes to a cross-examination, she can fillet better than Mrs. Paul."

With no record, liberals say the White House should be prepared for Miers to be peppered with questions during her Senate confirmation.

"Choosing somebody who is not a judge would put that much more of a premium on straight answers to questions because there would be that much less for senators and the public to go on when looking at such a nominee's judicial philosophy," says Elliot Mincberg, counsel with the liberal People for the American Way.

Formerly Bush's personal lawyer in Texas, Miers came with the president to the White House as his staff secretary, the person in charge of all the paperwork that crosses the Oval Office desk. Miers was promoted to deputy chief of staff in June 2003.

As an attorney in Dallas, Miers became president in 1996 of Locke Purnell, Rain & Harrell a firm with more than 200 lawyers where she worked starting in 1972. After it merged a few years later, she became co-manager of Locke Liddell & Sapp.

When Bush was governor of Texas, she represented him in a case involving a fishing house. In 1995, he appointed her to a six-year term on the Texas Lottery Commission. She also served as a member-at-large on the Dallas City Council and in 1992 became the first woman president of the Texas State Bar.
http://www.norwalkadvocate.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-bush-scotus,0,2664400.story?coll=scn-newsnation-headlines

[muriel_volestrangler]

52. A question: Would she have to recuse herself from cases involving Bush

since she's worked for him for the past 5 years? Morally, I'd have thought so, but we are dealing with Republicans here ...

[FourStarDemocrat]

55. She doesn't have too, if she follows Scalia's lead

Scalia refused to recuse himself when the SC was deciding a case involving Cheney and the Energy Association (forgot the details of this case, sorry-maybe someone could help out). He even went on a hunting and fishing trip with Cheney before this case was heard.

[muriel_volestrangler]

60. Thanks - I remember that now

Yes, it doesn't set a good precedent. The basic description of here seems to be "loyal to Bush".

[Jim Lane]

149. Scalia's conflict of interest

The Sierra Club sued Cheney and the Energy Task Force, seeking disclosure of information relating to how the energy industry had helped write government policy under Bush. Scalia was urged to recuse himself because he had gone on a duck-hunting trip with Cheney. Scalia didn't recuse himself and participated in the case. Details of the conflict of interest dispute are on the Sierra Club's website: http://www.sierraclub.org/pressroom/releases/pr2004-02-23.asp

[FourStarDemocrat]

167. Thanks..do you remember what the outcome of the case was? n/t

[Jim Lane]

168. Short answer: We lost. Long answer in message body....

There were two separate cases. The one brought by the GAO was dismissed on grounds of separation of powers (because the GAO is a Congressional entity).

The other case, brought by the Sierra Club and Judicial Watch, got to the Supreme Court, which remanded it to the Circuit Court on terms that were largely favorable to Cheney and his industry buddies, though the Court didn't accept the administration's most sweeping pro-secrecy arguments. In May 2005 the Circuit Court dismissed that case.

If you want the really long answer, the Sierra Club website has a lot more about the underlying secrecy issue and about Scalia's conflict of interest.

Chronology of case, with links to briefs (on secrecy and on recusal) and transcript of oral argument: http://www.sierraclub.org/environmentallaw/lawsuits/viewCase.asp?id=173

Sierra Club press release about Supreme Court decision: http://www.sierraclub.org/pressroom/releases/pr2004-06-24.asp

Links to majority, concurring, and dissenting opinions; links to briefs (on secrecy and on recusal); links to some press commentary: http://www.sierraclub.org/environmentallaw/cheney_case/

All this stuff is available for free whether or not you're a Sierra Club member

[FourStarDemocrat]

174. Thanks very much for the info Jim Lane. n/t

[mzteris]

54. one of miers cases

April 6, 2004

Texas Consumers Kept In Dark over Auto Loan Overcharges Because of Legislation Signed by Then-Texas Gov. Bush

AUSTIN, Texas – Two consumer groups today called on the Texas Legislature to repeal a unique law – passed under former Gov. George Bush – that blocks Texas consumers from recovering $6 billion in overcharges on car loans and allows dealers to keep kickbacks secret.

The 1999 law allows auto dealers to pocket kickbacks from lenders in exchange for inflating the interest rates on car loans, without disclosing the kickbacks to car buyers. Using court records and insider information from whistleblowers, consumer groups and attorneys have found overcharges ranging from hundreds of dollars to more than $15,000. These kickbacks have led to higher-priced auto loans for consumers, even when the consumers have good credit. The law makes Texas the only state in the nation to specifically permit non-disclosure of the dealer kickbacks from lenders.


. . .Harriet Miers’ law firm represented the defendants of the litigation, which included auto dealers in Texas. At the time, she was president of Locke, Purnell, Rain & Harrell, where she worked from 1972 until 1999. Currently Miers is assistant to President Bush and his staff secretary.



http://www.citizen.org/pressroom/release.cfm?ID=1682

[SpiralHawk]

56. For the celestial record

I won't intrude on this thread with an angle on the Miers story from the Sky Sign perspective. But for those who are interested, here's a DU thread entitled "Dragging Bush's Skeletons Out of the Closet."

It puts today's nomination in an astrological framework:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=245&topic_id=12790&mesg_id=12790

[mzteris]

59. Relative appoint District Appeals judge in TX

Hon. Justice Elizabeth Lang-Miers
Justice Lang-Miers was recently appointed to the Fifth Court of Appeals in Dallas, Texas. She was formerly a partner with Locke Liddell & Sapp LLP in Dallas. Her practice included commercial litigation in state and federal courts, and representing clients regarding employment matters. She is a member of the Panel of Arbitrators and Panel of Mediators of the American Arbitration Association.

[gatorboy]

61. Harriet Miers slept at Governor Bush's Mansion for $23,628.00

http://groups.google.com/group/alt.politics.liberalism/browse_thread/thread/474e647828949ed7/f2978d4804c86139?lnk=st&q=harriet+miers&rnum=148&hl=en#f2978d4804c86139

Overnight Guests at Governor’s Mansion
Added $2.2 Million to Bush Campaign

List of guests who slept over at the Governor's Mansion in Texas:
Sorted by Name and their contributions.

The following list of guests to the Governor's Mansion is taken from records released by the Office of the General Counsel in the governor's office. Pioneer status -- fund-raisers who have brought in more than $100,000 -- is based on records released by Bush for President, Inc.
---------------------------------------
83 Miers, Harriet                            $23,628.00  
---------------------------------------
That's alot of coinage!

[tabasco]

63. NBC Today Show reported this morning ...

that she once said George W. Bush was one of the most brilliant men she had ever met.

:rofl:

TOADIE ALERT !!

[mzteris]

64. missing roberts file tied to miers office

The Washington Post has it today.

A file of nominee John Roberts can no longer be found anywhere at the Reagan Library, following its inspection this summer by 2 lawyers from the WH and the Department of Justice.

They removed and claim to have returned the file in July, according to the WaPo story, page A4.

The file that has disappeared covered Affirmative Action cases when Roberts worked for Ronald Reagan.

One of the 2 lawyers who reviewed the file is trying to help the library "reconstruct" its contents.



http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/16/AR2005081601457.html?nav=hcmodule


Which might explain this:

"John Roberts thanked Harriet Miers in his list of people to thank for helping with the confirmation process."

[struggle4progress]

113. Roberts file missing from Reagan library (19 Aug 2005)

R. JEFFREY SMITH and JO BECKER
The Washington Post

WASHINGTON - A file folder containing papers from Supreme Court nominee John Roberts Jr.'s work on affirmative action more than 20 years ago disappeared from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library after its review by two lawyers from the White House and the Justice Department in July, according to officials at the library and the National Archives and Records Administration. <snip>

As part of a vetting process before Roberts' formal nomination by the White House in late July, the two lawyers requested and were granted special access to the Roberts files. Neither the White House nor the Justice Department would name the lawyers Tuesday, but sources said one works for White House counsel Harriet Miers and the other is an aide to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/news/local/12422587.htm

[struggle4progress]

117. Her office is in charge of seeking vetting court possibilities:

Quiet but Ambitious White House Counsel Makes Life of Law

By Michael A. Fletcher
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, June 21, 2005; Page A19

<snip> Working with her staff of 13 lawyers, and in cooperation with the Justice Department, Miers's office provides guidance on issues from the legal parameters for the war on terrorism to presidential speeches. Her office also takes the lead in vetting and recommending candidates for the federal judiciary, all the way up to the Supreme Court.

With Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist suffering from thyroid cancer and widely expected to step down after the court term ends this month, it is the counsel's office that has taken the lead in evaluating prospective replacements. The work started just after Bush took office in 2001, when lawyers in the office began compiling court opinions, law review articles, speeches and other works of prospective judges so the office would be ready to make recommendations should an opening occur on the high court. <snip>

The office also has played a pivotal role in recommending federal appeals court candidates to Bush. Senate Democrats blocked 10 of the president's 34 appeals court nominees during his first term, saying they were too extreme in their conservatism. That prompted Senate Republicans to threaten to change the rules to disallow filibusters of judicial candidates. <snip>

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/20/AR2005062001161.html

I wonder if she vetted pro-torture appointee Jay Bybee ...

[rateyes]

66. Doing a little research...

found this web-page:

http://pview.findlaw.com/view/2172806_1?&channel=LP

Then googled "Women's Foundation of Dallas" which is listed as one of the organizations to which she currently belongs, and found this--(don't know if same organization)

http://pview.findlaw.com/view/2172806_1?&channel=LP

Snippet from that site:

How is the Dallas Women’s Foundation different from other grant-making organizations?
The Dallas Women’s Foundation transforms the traditional relationship between funds, donors, grassroots organizations, and the women and girls served by bringing all parties together. This sense of community forges long-term connections that benefit each party. For example, major donors accompany the Dallas Women’s Foundation on visits to potential grantees. Volunteers also serve on the Grants Committee, evaluating grant proposals and making the decisions as to which agencies will receive funding.

Bringing donors face-to-face with program recipients - women and girls with whom they might not otherwise interact - is a transforming experience for all. These encounters create an involved and educated donor who is committed to the programs and to the social change that women's and girls' funds support. They also remind us that poverty, discrimination, lack of access to services, lack of reproductive control, gender violence, sexism, racism, heterosexism, and age and disability-related discrimination are realities faced by all women.

(snip)

I don't know if it's the same organization as the first web-site, which says, "Women's Foundation of Dallas," Whereas the second site is to "Dallas Women's Foundation," but there is no web-site coming up with an advanced search with google or dogpile that comes up with "Women's Foundation of Dallas," but a bio on Harriettt Myers does come up with the first web-page.

From what I've seen, I don't think the radical RW freeper heads are exploding right now, but at the same time, reading what else is posted about her here, I don't much care for her either. If she helped * cover up lies--that makes her a liar, too. And, I don't like the fact that she helped keep docs on Roberts away from Senators.

[rateyes]

74. Too late to edit:

The above post should read I DO think the freeper's heads are exploding now--sorry about that.


And, the second link should be:


http://www.dallaswomensfoundation.org/about/FAQ.html

Mondays!

[flowomo]

72. had a scary boyfriend.....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=4957318&mesg_id=4957318

[Marie26]

73. Crony to protect from indictments?

Maybe he has a very-short term goal - protect himself from indictment. The Consitution is shady on whether a sitting president can be criminally indicted - or whether he must first be impeached (& that's not going to happen w/this House). Fitzgerald is probably going to announce his indictments this month. Maybe Bush just wanted to pick someone he is SURE will vote against allowing an indictment against him.
Miers graduated feom "Southern Methodist University Law School," without apparant honors. This is a regional, Tier 2 law school. I'm sure it's a good school but it's a pretty far cry from graduating summa cum laude from Harvard. (as Roberts did) And she's never even heard a case - doesn't know anything about judicial analysis. I think she's going to sound pretty uninformed. This nomination annoys me cause it seems targeted at getting an Executive Branch crony into the Judicial Branch. Isn't that the point of "seperation of powers" - to keep these two branches, well, seperate? Otherwise the President can control the branch that supposedly interprets his own actions. All he'd need now is the Legislative Branch & the Evil Empire can begin. I think this nomination is all about consolidating & protecting power for Bush.

[windbreeze]

137. Grover Nordquist said.....

That they would take control of the Legislative Branch and the Executive Branch and then move to take over the Judicial Branch and direct it against the Democrats.....9/12/2004 Sooooo, then, is there any questions left...as to their intent...??? I think not...I am not happy about what I am reading here...She has a lot of baggage around her neck...and this is one hell of a Thank You note from Bush to Ms. Miers...
windbreeze

[Oreo]

75. Looks like she doens't like Washington

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/washington/stories/051505dnnatwash.aa5fd87e.html
The wording of the last sentence is strange to me. "Leaving little doubt where she's headed doen the road"

5. Harriet Miers

The Dallas lawyer is in her third White House job in four years.

One of the president's closest confidantes, Harriet Miers was his personal and campaign attorney in Texas. At the White House, she moved up quickly, from the gatekeeper post of staff secretary, to deputy chief of staff for policy, to legal counsel.

In her new paneled corner office on the second floor of the West Wing, she manages a team of lawyers that handles the most sensitive legal issues facing the president, from the war against terrorism to appointments to the federal bench.

Her roots run deep in Dallas, where she still owns a house. She was born in the city, graduated twice from Southern Methodist University and served on the Dallas City Council. "There is an ease of living in Texas that does not exist here," she says, leaving little doubt where she's headed down the road.

[jmowreader]

78. Locke Liddell Sapp specializes in corporate law

I figured the best place to start looking for information about Ms. Miers would be the White House website--they'd have a bio of Bush's counsel, right?

Harriet Miers was managing partner of Locke Liddell Sapp LLP. It's a fairly good-sized operation, about 400 lawyers. The White House says that before she was at Locke Liddell she was at Locke Purnell Rain Harrell, but that's slightly misleading; Locke Liddell Sapp was formed in a merger of two law firms, one of which was Locke Purnell Rain Harrell. So basically she worked for one company the whole time she was in private practice.

That her entire experience is in corporate law leads me to believe that she'd be even more heavily pro-big-business than Priscilla Owen.

[Douglas Carpenter]

79. Philly Daily News: nominee's ties to Bush's National Guard scandal

from the Daily News:

here is the link to the Daily News:

http://www.pnionline.com/dnblog/attytood/archives/002383.html

"But she does know better than just about anyone else where the bodies are buried (relax, it's a just a metaphor...we hope) in President Bush's National Guard scandal. In fact, Bush's Texas gubenatorial campaign in 1998 (when he was starting to eye the White House) actually paid Miers $19,000 to run an internal pre-emptive probe of the potential scandal. Not long after, a since-settled lawsuit alleged that the Texas Lottery Commission -- while chaired by Bush appointee Miers -- played a role in a multi-million dollar cover-up of the scandal."

again the link:

http://www.pnionline.com/dnblog/attytood/archives/002383.html

[Marie26]

80. Some "unofficial" information about Miers

According to a law.com article "Down to the Last Detail," Miers was a meticulous nitpicker who wasn't able to "see the big picture." For this reason, she was moved from Card's office & "failed upwards" to the President's staff.

- "She failed in Card's office for two reasons," the official says. "First, because she can't make a decision, and second, because she can't delegate, she can't let anything go. And having failed for those two reasons, they move her to be the counsel for the president, which requires exactly those two talents."

"In 1996, at an Anti-Defamation League Jurisprudence Award ceremony, Bush introduced Miers as a "pit bull in Size 6 shoes," a tag line that has persisted through the years, in part because colorful anecdotes or descriptions about Miers are notoriously difficult to find."

"She's not a back-slapper. She's very businesslike," says Texas Supreme Court Justice Nathan Hecht, who has dated Miers over the years and has known her since he first became a lawyer at Locke Purnell in 1975.

On the opposite side, people seem to say that she is very professional, thorough, hard-working, & careful. Overall, the picture that emerges seems to be over someone who is conscientious, low-key, a little boring, very detail-oriented, & very loyal to Bush.

http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1102944936042

[libnnc]

85. interesting--"...can't make a decision...can't delegate..."

thanks for posting this. So how will these traits translate when she's on the court?

edit to add

so she's a fussy hand-wringer who can't see the bigger picture on things...hmmmm.

[Marie26]

93. Not really sure

I'm not sure, these seem to be management issues, so I'm not sure how that'd affect her performance as a Supreme Court judge. What it does seem to suggest is that she isn't very strong-minded, and isn't a "big thinker". the Supreme Court is all about big, sweeping ideas & philosophical issues. I highly doubt that this woman has thought much, if at all, about these issues. I doubt she has a "judicial philosphy" or set of values & standards for the law - we're not hearing anything about a brilliant legal mind here. Not to be mean, but she seems like an unremarkable person who's just been handed a remarkable job. I bet she'd probably end up a rubber-stamper, like Thomas, who'd simply follows suit w/a strong-willed judge's rulings. This might not be good for Democrats, cause even if she's not a fire-breathing conservative, she might fall in line w/Scalia simply because she lacks any ideas of her own. Of course, except for the times she falls in line with Bush's ideas when a Presidential case comes up. Bush just wanted a rubber-stamper who will approve his plans without any pesky agenda or ideas of their own.

[libnnc]

94. yep. someone who can't make

a decision on their own and who is easily manipulated. Not good. And she has no judicial track record to for us to scrutinize. How clever.

[ClintonTyree]

151. She'll just have to call KKKarl or "the most brilliant man she ever met"

to get the answers to those tricky Judicial problems. I imagine that is exactly what will happen and that's exactly why she was picked for the position. She's a blank slate and they can write anything they want to on it. She'll do as she's told. Period. This is exactly why she was chosen for the Supreme Court, I know it.

[ClintonTyree]

150. She "failed upwards".......

if that doesn't describe bush and his entire mob I don't know what does. They ALL "failed upwards", isn't that a strange coincidence? bush couldn't find oil in Texas, was bailed out of every business venture he fucked up during his coke and booze years (if they're over yet) and every single time he FAILED UPWARDS. There's no debating that he's taken the same tack when dealing with his subordinates failures, they all "fail upwards".
Yeah, the GOP, "the responsibility party". Responsibility meaning it's never their fault when they fuck up and they're richly rewarded as long as they stay loyal. :grr:

[Marie26]

81. Oops, double post

[nickgutierrez]

82. Bottom line: No judicial experience.

None.

In other words, not qualified to hold a seat in the highest court in the nation.

[jasmeel]

83. Why did she donate to Al Gore, the DNC and Lloyd Bentsen?

I still find that really weird. Any ideas on why she donated to those people and then completely switched to all repubs? What changed?

[Roland99]

84. Because Rick Perry was Gore's campaign chairman

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Reports_on_Miers_donations_to_Gore_1003.html


Yes...*that* Rick Perry.

[ClintonTyree]

152. A thousand dollars isn't.........

what I'd call firm support from someone of her means. That's just Texas politics. You cover all your bets. The amount of money she donated to georgie's campaign DWARFS those few thousand. There's no doubt where her allegiances lie.

[AlGore-08.com]

160. She also contributed to her firm's PAC in 1988, which backed GOPers & Dems

It looks like most of them were incumbents, which makes her contributions to Gore & the DNC look a little less like personal support, and a little more like covering her bets:

1988
http://www.politicalmoneyline.com/cgi-win/x_pacdonations.exe?DoFn=&CmteID=C00220483&sYR=88&DW=0

Contributions To Candidates By
LOCKE PURNELL RAIN HARRELL FEDERAL POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE

1. GORE, ALBERT JR DEM $1,000
2. Dist 16 DINGELL, JOHN D DEM Incumbent $250
3. Senate DOWDY, WAYNE DEM $500
4. Dist 04 LENT, NORMAN FREDERICK REP Incumbent $250
5. Senate BENTSEN, SENATOR LLOYD DEM Incumbent $5,000
6. Senate GRAMM, WILLIAM PHILIP REP Incumbent $500
7. Dist 01 CHAPMAN, JIM DEM Incumbent $2,500
8. Dist 03 BARTLETT, STEVE REP Incumbent $250
9. Dist 04 HALL, RALPH MOODY DEM Incumbent $500
10. Dist 05 WILLIAMS, LON R JR REP $250
11. Dist 05 BRYANT, JOHN WILEY DEM Incumbent $1,500
12. Dist 06 BARTON, JOE CONGRESSMAN REP Incumbent $250
13. Dist 08 FIELDS, JACK MILTON JR REP Incumbent $250
14. Dist 09 BROOKS, JACK DEM Incumbent $250
15. Dist 22 DELAY, THOMAS DALE REP Incumbent $1,000
16. Dist 24 FROST, MARTIN DEM Incumbent $250
17. Dist 25 ANDREWS, MICHAEL ALLEN DEM Incumbent $750
18. Senate ROBB, CHARLES SPITTAL DEM $500

http://www.politicalmoneyline.com/cgi-win/x_pacdonations.exe?DoFn=&CmteID=C00220483&sYR=88&DW=1

Contributions To Non-Candidate, Non-Party Committees By
LOCKE PURNELL RAIN HARRELL FEDERAL POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE

CAMPAIGN AMERICA $1,000 P112 political organizations - leadership
SENATE VICTORY FUND PAC (FKA COCHRAN COMMITTEE) $250 P112 political organizations - leadership


"Campaign America" was a Republican PAC:
http://www.politicalmoneyline.com/cgi-win/x_pacdonations.exe?DoFn=&CmteID=C00088369&sYR=88&DW=0

"Senate Victory Fund PAC (FKA Cochran Committee)" was another Republican PAC:
http://www.politicalmoneyline.com/cgi-win/x_pacdonations.exe?DoFn=&CmteID=C00202861&sYR=88&DW=0

[Walt Starr]

86. She's a member of a fundamentalist church in Dallas

View Christian Church in Dallas. Member for 25 years. Fundamentlaist Evangelical church.

[cry baby]

87. Read "Sit Back and Enjoy" from Kos

http://dailykos.com/

[JCMach1]

89. This link should help everyone out with the DIRT

http://www.thesyndrome.com/archives/00001320.htm

[jane_pippin]

91. Anybody else hear the NPR report about lawyer/client privilege

in relation to Miers and Bush?

If I heard it right, the report said that it's possible certain records from her time spent as his personal lawyer would have to remain sealed. (It makes sense, but it's sneaky and dirty IMO. But then, what else is new?)

Did anybody else hear that? What's your take? I know nothing of the legal system, but heard the report and thought I'd bring it to the attention fellow DUers. (I don't have a link to the NPR show because I'm at work and only paying half attention. I think it was on today's Fresh Air.)

[fortyfeetunder]

142. That made me think Miers has some good dirt on *

and having attorney-client privilege on certain * affairs insulates her from being grilled during the confirmation hearing.

Oh, shucks, I wouldn't say she is using b******l to get this job?

[sandyd921]

95. Member of church w/anti-choice views

This is a quote I found on an RW Christian message board from the pastor of her church (Valley View Christian Church of Dallas):

I talked yesterday with Miers' pastor, Ron Key, who for 33 years (until a few weeks ago) was pastor of Valley View Christian Church in Dallas. “She started coming to church in 1980. She helped out with kids, made coffee, furnished donuts, served on missions committee. She worked out her faith in practical, behind-the-scenes ways. She doesn't draw attention to herself, she's humble, self-effacing." Key has still seen her in recent years because "her mother is 93. Harriet tries to get home as much as she can." When Key and Miers met in 1980, "I don’t know how strong her faith was at that time. She came to a place where she totally committed her life to Jesus. She had gone to church before, but when she came to our church it became more serious to her.... Our church is strong for life, but Harriet and I have not had any conversations on that…. We believe in the biblical approach to marriage."

In and of itself this doesn't necessarily paint her as having an anti-choice position, however her affiliation with this brand of Christianity is interesting.

[mzteris]

131. in all fairness -

the Church has this as part of their "who we are" statement:

"We try not to be dogmatic about matters on which believers hold divergent views. Our core beliefs are centered in Christ and His message as supported by Scripture. More obscure doctrine, as well as controversial issues about which the Bible is silent, are left to believers to sort out on their own. On these issues we take no official/dogmatic position. What follows is a summary of what we believe. "

Which, at least, is a bit more "liberal" than you get from MANY churches!

[mzteris]

133. on second look.......

I found this by Key's replacement

Dr. Barry McCarty is the preaching minister at Valley View
Christian Church in Dallas, Texas, and the speaker for The
Christians’ Hour radio broadcast.

A Voice for Those Who Cannot Speak

http://lookoutmag.com/pdfs/899.pdf


Pretty clearly anti-abortion, anti-being allowed to die, anti-stemcell



Though he's been there since she moved? ?

[Peace Patriot]

96. "What do we know about Harriett Miers?" The same thing we know about

John Roberts, that she is being appointed to the Supreme Court by an illegitimately elected president with almost no support among the American people.

A better question is: What do we DO about Harriet Miers's appointment by an illegitimate president?

And here's the answer (or the beginning of one):

1. Paper ballots hand-counted at the precinct level (--Canada does it in one day, although speed should not even be a consideration, just accuracy and verifiability)

or, at the least...

2. Paper ballot (not "paper trail") backup of all electronic voting, a 10% automatic recount, very strict security, and NO SECRET, PROPRIETARY programming code! (...jeez!).


There are several things we can do about these illegitimate appointments, once we have restored our right to vote. We are the sovereign power in this nation. We can do many things, if we re-empower and re-enfranchise ourselves, including changing the Constitution.*

Our elections have become non-transparent and unverifiable, with rightwing Bushite corporations controlling the vote tabulation, using SECRET, PROPRIETARY programming code, and with not even the meagerest of "paper trails" in one third of the country. Until we change this, we can have no confidence in any "results" that our election system produces, and we have a mountain of external evidence that the 2004 presidential "result" was wrong.

The best venue in which to fight for transparent elections is the state/local jurisdictions, where control over election systems still resides, and where ordinary people still have some influence. The bipartisan corruption in the $4 billion electronic voting boondoggle is a formidable obstacle to election reform, but we can't touch the corruption at the federal level, at the moment, because we, the people, have zero power in Washington DC. There will be no federal solution to the problem of non-transparent elections (and we don't want them meddling any more, anyway--they've done enough harm!). We therefore have to seek transparency in our election systems from the bottom up.

Once we begin electing true representatives of the people, they will help us to further restore and protect our right to vote.

We CAN re-empower and re-enfranchise the majority by this patient and persistent effort. And, once we do, we can, a) add to the number of justices on the Supreme Court, to outvote the illegitimate appointments of this illegitimate regime--a power that I believe Congress possesses right now, with no change to the Constitution*; b) change the Constitution, for instance, to elect justices, or limit terms to ten years, and eliminate the current court; c) invalidate Bush's appointments and throw them out, or impeach them.

Think about being powerful. Think of the majority ruling once again. Think creatively about what we could do, if we restored the sovereign power of the people. And think about how to do that, restore our sovereignty.

----------

*FDR used his influence on Congress to try to expand the number of justices, when the dinosauric Supreme Court appointed by the malfeasant "Robber Baron" Republicans who proceeded him blockaded critically needed reforms during the Great Depression. It was called (by a rightwing press) "packing the Supreme Court" but the reality was that the "Robber Baron" justices were trying to protect the super-rich from ESSENTIAL recovery programs, after they had created an economic catastrophe in the country, through their bottomless greed. FDR didn't succeed in "packing the Supreme Court", but the threat of his proposal caused a moderate justice to change course and begin voting in favor of New Deal programs. (The Social Security Act was one of them.) As far as I know, Congress STILL has the power to set the number of justices. I don't think the number 'nine' appears in the Constitution, and the existing Constitutional provisions for a court system are rather sketchy, on the whole, and can all, theoretically, be changed. (There is good reason for an independent judiciary, but none for a judiciary appointed by an illegitimate regime that has assaulted the very foundations of our democracy, with non-transparent elections, and curtailment of our civil rights.)

[crispini]

97. GREAT summary of Miers and the Lottery at the Guardian.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5318713,00.html

[Horse with no Name]

99. This is where my research is bringing me

That most of the bodies are buried in the Texas Lottery.

1968: Ben Barnes, a prominent Texas Democrat and a former speaker of the House in the state legislature, told friends he used his influence to get George W a guard slot after receiving a request from Houston oilman Sid Adger. Barnes said Adger told him he was calling on behalf of the elder George Bush, then a Texas congressman.

1995: Harriet Miers appointed to head the Texas Lottery.
The biggest issue before Miers and the commission was whether to retain lottery operator Gtech, which had been implicated in a bribery scandal. Gtech's main lobbyist in Texas in the mid-1990s? None other than that same Ben Barnes who had the goods on how Bush got into the Guard and avoided Vietnam.

1997: Barnes was abruptly fired by Gtech.

1997: Nora Linares was fired by Miers. Coincidentally (?) Linares was represented by Charles Soechting, now head of the Texas Democratic Party.

1997: Linares replacement, Littwin was fired. He had ruffled feathers for ordering lottery security officers to research campaign finance records of 30 current and former state officials.Littwin claimed GTECH used its political influence to have him fired. Miers denied the accusation.
Littwin's lawyers suggested that former Lt. Gov. Ben Barnes, who was a lobbyist for GTECH until January 1997, helped the company keep its state contract to run the lottery in exchange for keeping silent about how he had helped Bush get into the National Guard in the late 1960s.
Barnes denied the allegations.

1998: Bush's Texas gubenatorial campaign in 1998 (when he was starting to eye the White House) actually paid Miers $19,000 to run an internal pre-emptive probe of the potential National Guard scandal.

So this is just starting...fill in appropriate information. Cursory glance shows that perhaps Miers was put into a position at the Lottery to gleen info regarding Barnes so that she could turn around and bury the info later? Perhaps Lawrence Littwin would be a person of interest to talk to.

http://www.pnionline.com/dnblog/attytood/archives/00238...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-531...

[Carolab]

106. I don't get it either.

This opens up Miers' tenure as Texas Lottery Commissioner to intense scrutiny and the central controversy of that period involves GTECH gaming scandals and Bush's Texas Air National Guard service.

Is that what Bush wants in the public eye as the Safavian and Abramoff scandals break?

From the Amarillo Globe News 7/29/99:
"Littwin's attorneys also have questioned whether Bush allies, in return for the Guard appointment, helped the state's lottery operator, GTECH, fend off efforts by Littwin that might have upset its lucrative contract.

An unsigned letter to a U.S. attorney in 1996 that Littwin's lawyers obtained in their case prompted questions about the Guard, The News said. The letter was sent after the three-member Lottery Commission voted unanimously to extend the GTECH contract for five years rather than seek new bids.

It alleged that GTECH was allowed to keep its contract in return for Barnes not revealing his help in getting Bush into the Guard, the newspaper said. A former top Bush aide who now lobbies for GTECH brokered the deal between the governor and Barnes, the letter said. Both the former aide and Lottery Commission Chairwoman Harriet Miers denied the accusations."

The allegations haven't been proved but making them the possible central focus of a second SCOTUS nomination is bizarre.

[Mind_your_head]

141. Maybe he's just begging for help.....

....you know, "stop me before I appoint more incompetents"? How much more must I f*ck up before you stop me? Just saying/thinking-out-loud.....:shrug:

[suffragette]

101. I was looking for any info about her time on the Dallas City Council

Didn't find anything except that she was on it from 1989-1991. But did find this other item during the search:
http://www.ci.dallas.tx.us/cso/cc120998.shtml

MINUTES OF THE DALLAS CITY COUNCIL
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1998
OFFICIAL ACTION OF THE DALLAS CITY COUNCIL

December 9, 1998

98-3607

Item 126: Appointment of members to the task force created to review and recommend possible changes and additions to ethics laws applicable to city officers and employees (Mayor Kirk)


Councilmember Mayes moved to approve the item by appointing members to the Task Force appointed by city councilmembers:

Judge John Creuzot appointed by Mayor Kirk
Harriet Miers appointed by Mayor Pro Tem Poss
Dr. Jose Gutierrez appointed by Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Salazar
Clark Birdsall appointed by Councilmember Miller
Michael Jung appointed by Councilmember Duncan
Chris Luna appointed by Councilmember Hicks
Albert Black, Jr. appointed by Councilmember Mayes
Judge Eric Moye appointed by Councilmember Lipscomb
Donna Halstead appointed by Councilmember Walne
Sid Stahl appointed by Councilmember Finkelman
Max Wells appointed by Councilmember Greyson
Clifford Strickland appointed by Councilmember Blumer


Motion seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Poss and unanimously adopted.


Haven't yet found what the task force recommended, but I am curious given that this was about ethics law.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

103. She replaced Alberto Gonzalez as President's Counsel

Some talking head on CNN this afternoon said that, as Bush's Legal Counsel at the White House she has read each and every document that Bush has read.

She knows what screw ups Bush has committed. She knows where the skeletons are closeted. She might even know who leaked the name of Valerie Plame to the press. After all, as Bush's Chief Legal Counsel in the White House, she's probably been the one who told the Chimp exactly how to word his handling of the leak affair in his press conferences.

Whether or not she's an extreme right winger, her closeness to Bush makes me very wary of her.

[MasonJar]

105. If she thinks Bush is the smartest man she ever met, then she has

not got the astuteness to be Supreme Court justice. What kind of numbskulls does she run with. Even Bush's supporters know he is a lightweight.

[AuntieM1957]

132. Ya'll missed it, she coughed and said EVIL under her breath

He's the most brilliantly evil man she's ever met.

Apparently, DeLay wasn't invited to Camp David the same weekend as she.

[SoCalDem]

107. She was involved in the Guard "cleansing", The Trashed White house

investigation, and a 30M$ fine paid by her law firm's insurance (that one included a Wylie brother)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4961145

[femrap]

108. Well, I have spent a few hours doing some research and ......

found that both she and Laura attended SMU. She never married....totally devoted to her career. She loves George and he is rewarding her doting loyalty.

My analysis: she must have had a cold father who never gave his love or approval....George gives her this...and that is (sadly) what she wants. She goes to Camp David more than other staffers. She is a 'pet.' And now she is going to be a 'puppet' for W and Corporate America....she will give the Executive Branch everything it wants....pardons, free passes from jail, mandatory vacations...you name it! lol.

She is anti-choice....while active in the ABA during the late 1990's in Texas, she tried to have their pro-choice stance rescinded...didn't work.

She could be the illegitimate daughter of George the First....does anyone else see the resemblance? That would make them half brother and sister? lol. Or is she a 'man-pleasing Queen Bee?' I have such problems with right wing female fundies....oh, also against stem cell research.

Last, she was paid $19,000 to review all of W's Vietnam-era records so to deflect all charges that former House Speaker, Ben Barnes, helped W get into the Texas Air National Guard. However, he was finally forced to testify under oath that he helped W.

Her intense loyalty to W is strange....sexual? motherly? 'I put him where he is today'? Harriet Meirs is truly a great follower.

This nomination is so surreal....pinch me....I want to wake up.

[Herman47]

109. The beautiful thing...

I do strongly suspect that she's anti-choice, knowing that she's a religious fundamentalist and seeing certain statements on other websites. She's probably anti-gay too. The beautiful thing about this is that even if they can never get her to state her thoughts on abortion, Senate Democrats have an excellent case to oppose her because of her lack of meaningful, top-notch experience and because her nomination stemmed from cronyism. There is a precedent for rejection of candidates who simply lack an adequate background for the Supreme Court (e.g., Harrold Carswell in 1970).

If she can be borked, this bodes well for us. After Bork was borked, a humiliated Reagan came up with Anthony Kennedy, who, while bad, is not nearly as terrible as Bork, Scalia, and Thomas. (Kennedy is, I believe, pro-choice).

[GrantDem]

111. From NARAL

As president of the Texas State Bar, Miers led a campaign to reverse the American Bar Association’s pro-choice position, saying “We can do what is politically popular in this body or we can do what is right.”


Miers has an obligation to explain her disturbing actions in this effort.

[ClintonTyree]

112. She's just another theo-fascist........

like the rest of the bush cabal only she doesn't come with the pedigree papers. The rest of them were well documented, this one's sliding in under the radar because she's never done a thing to leave a paper trail.
I think that abouts sums it up. :shrug:

[wakemewhenitsover]

114. Her name rhymes with beers.

:toast:

[Kindigger]

140. and she looks like my ex-husband's

aunt, who used to sit on the barstool next to my mo-in-law several times a week...makeup and all.

[npincus]

115. she's an Evangelical Christian

see my thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2131409&mesg_id=2131409

[FourStarDemocrat]

116. She also attended some Pro-life fundraisers in the past- reported on CNN

on Anderson Cooper's show this evening. So,it's pretty obvious where she stands on that issue.

Really, even John Roberts, whether we like him or not, is a constitutional scholar,an expert on the law and qualified to do this job. This Harriet Miers person brings NOTHING. Any goddamn croney with an attorney's license can sit on the SCOTUS if she can.

[crispini]

120. Locke Liddell involvement in ponzi scheme!

After doing some homework, I found this Houston Chronicle article. The summary is below and the full article is after the jump.

In the late 1990s two guys, a former pro football player named Russell Erxleben and Brian Stearns, ran a $40 million + ponzi (pyramid) scheme involving hundreds of people, bilking them out of tens of thousands of dollars a piece. The secret to the sheer magnitude of their scheme is that rather than keeping their money in a bank, they kept it in Locke, Liddell and Sapp's trust fund. They then convinced potential "investors" that the money was safe because it was locked up in this big law firm's trust fund. To close the deal, they told them that one Harriet Miers was a partner there and that she worked for the governor. Locke Liddell knew what was going on, kept quiet about it and ended up getting sued and having to settle for more than $30 million in the affair. At the time Miers was a managing partner, meaning she was on watch when this scandal went down.

Either Ms. Miers was in on the deal or she is highly incompetent. Given the Republicans knack for all things shady, I have to believe
that Ms. Miers was in on the deal. Is this party corrupt to the core?

http://www.burntorangereport.com/mt/archives/2005/10/is_ms_miers_jus.html#more

[IndianaGreen]

121. She is a Bush crony, just as Brown at FEMA, Chertoff at Homeland Security

It is Bush's cronyism that should be the focus of our opposition to Miers.

[struggle4progress]

122. Harriet Mier's federal campaign contributions (Redmeat)

http://www.newsmeat.com/washington_political_donations/Harriet_Miers.php

[struggle4progress]

123. " ... $5,000 donor to the Bush-Cheney Inc. Recount Fund ... "

http://www.fecinfo.com/

[struggle4progress]

124. Ask the White House (September 10, 2004)

September 10, 2004
Harriet Miers


Hello, I am Harriet Miers and I am Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy at the White House. I am very happy to answer your questions today. Why don't we get started!


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Duane, from Redding, CA writes:
At what time will the President's Patriot's Day message be placed on the internet web site.?

Harriet Miers
Hi, Duane. Very soon. Stay tuned.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Marlene, from Lakeland High School, Lakeland, Florida writes:
I am a high school history teacher in Central Florida. My students and I think that September 11 should be a national holdiay as a National Day of Rembereance. We are writing our Congressman to urge the drafting of such legislation--I am sure you would pass such a bill into law if you had the chance! Thank You.

Harriet Miers
Great idea, Marlene. On December 11, 2001, the Congress passed House Joint Resolution 79, which designates September 11 of each year as Patriot Day. Each year the President also issues a proclamation in honor of this day. Once the President signs this year's proclamation it can be found on the White House website at http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/proclamations/.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rod, from Roanoke, VA writes:
This is not so much a question as it is a vote of support for Mr. Bush.

My wife and I just wanted to thank the Presdent for all his hard work and his service to our country for the last four years.

In September of 2001, the nation was frightened, almost frozen with fear, after the events of September 11th. President Bush's calm, strong leadership and resolve got us all through, and made us see the heroes that reside inside each of us. That is the mark of a true leader.

Mr. Bush has our full support and confidence in the difficult,often thankless job he does for our nation.

Thanks and god bless,

Harriet Miers
Thanks for your comments, Rod. I appreciate the President's calm, strong leadership also. He is a great leader!



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Caleb, from California writes:
Dear Harriet,With the 911 Commission report stating there was no linkable evidence between Sept. 11th and Iraq, why are the two often grouped together? Shouldn't they be considered two separate fights?

Thanks.

Harriet Miers
Hello, Caleb. I believe you must be referring to some language in the Report that can be misread. Like the Administration, the Commission did not find evidence that, before 9/11, these long-established ties between Iraq and al Qaeda had evolved into a "collaborative operational relationship" for "carrying out attacks against the United States." (chapter 2, § 2.5, page 66) However, the Commission's report catalogs some of the extensive contacts between Iraq and al Qaeda. Here are some: "Bin Ladin was also willing to explore possibilities for cooperation with Iraq." (chapter 2, § 2.4, page 61) Saddam’s regime "tolerated and may have even helped" al Qaeda sponsored groups in northern Iraq including Ansar al-Islam, a group tied to senior al Qaeda associate Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who continues to be responsible for terrorist attacks inside Iraq today. (chapter 2, § 2.4, page 61) "Bin Ladin himself met with a senior Iraqi intelligence officer in Khartoum in late 1994 or early 1995." (chapter 2, § 2.4, page 61) Bin Ladin proposed cooperation to Saddam Hussein’s regime in 1997 but was rebuffed. "In mid-1998, the situation reversed: it was Iraq that reportedly took the initiative" during a time of "intensifying U.S. pressure." (chapter 2, § 2.5, page 66) The Commission report documents a March 1998 visit to Iraq by two al Qaeda members to meet with Iraqi intelligence. It also documents a July 1998 Iraqi delegation that traveled to Afghanistan to meet first with the Taliban and then with Bin Ladin. (chapter 2, § 2.5, page 66) Iraqi officials offered Bin Ladin "a safe haven in Iraq" in 1999. (chapter 2, § 2.5, page 66) The scope of the Commission’s review limits the reporting on post-9/11 events, such as the activities of Zarqawi and his associates in Baghdad. So, no, I don’t think they should be considered separately. They are both part of the War on Terror.





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Keri, from Northville, Michigan writes:
Harriet,Since Sept. 11th, many jobs have been lost here in the Detroit area. I guess I don't understand exactly why this has occured? It seems as if our country is still going on just as we did before--so why did this day not only create catastrophic losses but also a hard time on our economy?

Harriet Miers
Thanks for your question Keri. It is a really good one. The economy suffered a terrible shock on September 11 with the stock markets closed for the longest time in their history, the national airspace closed for days, and our national confidence shaken. And the economy had been headed into a recession at the beginning of 2001.

Fortunately, the tax relief that the President had proposed early in 2001 was starting to kick in, and the ingenuity and hard work of the American people led to the 2001 recession being one of the shallowest recessions in history. Now America's economy is growing again. Since last August the economy has created 1.7 million jobs and unemployment has fallen to 5.4%, lower than the average unemployment rate in the 1990s, 1980s, and 1970s.

The President's pro-growth policies are letting Americans keep more of their own money and through his new Opportunity Zones proposal he is committed to providing help for communities that are making the transition to the new economy. The President won’t be satisfied until every American who wants a job can find one.





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Karrin, from OHIO writes:
Where were you on September 11th and what did you do?

Harriet Miers
Karrin, I was traveling with the President on September 11, 2001. So I started out in Florida. I was the President's Staff Secretary at that point in time, so I continued to do those duties. I was responsible for making sure the remarks he prepared to give to the Nation from Louisiana were properly prepared for him. It took some time, and the President saw me hurrying to give them to him. He said, "Good hustle!" He made me feel good that I was contributing. Typical. That was a remarkable day I will never forget. I will never forget how strong the President's response was to something so dreadful and so unexpected.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Matt, from Naperville writes:
Ms. Miers--when I watched the President speak last week I saw him tear up when he was talking about the military families that have lossed loved ones. I have heard the President is a man of faith and compassion, but was this the "real" President Bush? Or just a front for his speech?

I figure you would know because you work so closely with him.

thank you for your honesty in this question.

Harriet Miers
Matt, I believe that one of the things the American people love about President Bush and Mrs. Bush is their genuineness. They are people of faith and compassion, and as they frequently say, they are greatly moved by the courage, strength, and sacrifice of our servicemen and women and their families. I would just say to trust your own instincts.





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kendra, from Sedona writes:
Harriet,Is the War on Terror ever going to end? It seems as if those fighting against us would want to quit by now because I just don't understand how they believe what they are doing is right.

Harriet Miers
Kendra, I agree with you that it is impossible to understand how terrorist can think like they do or take innocent lives or cause the heartache and sorrow that they cause. They must have no consciences and no hope. I do believe we will win the war on terror. The President emphasizes that to win the war on terror we must advance freedom, and with the advancement of freedom, heart by heart, nation by nation, America will be more secure and the world more peaceful.





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jim, from South Carolina writes:
I want to share one of my memories of September 11th with you. I remember it was such a beautiful day that day. The sky was so blue and it seemed to be unreal this could be happening. Do you remember this as well where you were on Sept. 11th?

Harriet Miers
Yes, Jim, I remember it just like you do. As I said, I was in Florida with the President, and it was a really beautiful day, very peaceful. And I remember thinking how unreal and despicable it was that anyone could fly a plane filled with innocent people into a building full of innocent people. Yet what we later learned about heroic responses, courage and sacrifice, and the outpouring of generosity from the American people was a solid reminder of the triumph of good over evil.





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kirsten, from Indianapolis, Indiana writes:
What has been the President's proudest accomplishment on the War on Terror thus far?

Harriet Miers
Thank you for your question, Kirsten. I have never asked the President that question. It is a good one. I am sure he is very pleased that so far, with all the effort that has been made to protect the homeland, there has not been another attack in the United States. However we must continue to be ever vigilant, and we cannot ever let our guard down. Protecting our Nation is the most important objective of the War on Terror. We must never relent.





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gabriella, from Brownsville Texas writes:
How is September 11th being remembered this year? I would like to be able to watch something because I remember not being able to watch anything last year on TV with the President. I am curious what he is doing.

Harriet Miers
Hi, Gabriella. I love hearing from people from Texas. I am from Dallas, but have visited Brownsville many times.

This year, the President and Mrs. Bush and many representatives of the Administration will commemorate September 11th by attending a church service at St. John’s Church across from the White House. Then there will be a moment of silence observed on the South Lawn at 8:46 a.m. to honor the innocent victims who lost their lives as a result of the terrorist attacks. The President will meet with 9/11 Families and First Responders immediately after the ceremony on the South Lawn. Then at 10:06am, the President will deliver a live Radio Address from the Oval Office with the families and First Responders present. Both events will be webcasted on Whitehouse.gov.

The flags will fly at half staff throughout our country. Also, commemorative events will be held in Arlington, Virginia, where the Pentagon is located and in Pennsylvania and New York.

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld will participate in a wreath laying for the families at Arlington Cemetery adjacent to the Pentagon Marker within the cemetery. Chairman Myers is also scheduled to participate.

The program will include invocation, moment of silence, brief remarks, and music.

Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge will participate in the Pennsylvania Service of Remembrance at the Pennsylvania United Flight 93 crash site in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. He will give brief remarks and attend a private family gathering at the Flight 93 crash site prior to the Remembrance Service. Approximately 100 family members, 150 invited guests, and 1,000 plus members of the public are expected to attend the service.

In New York, there will be a reading of the names as they did last year.

And I suspect people and organizations around the country will be commemorating the day with their own services.

Thanks for writing.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

John, from Scheldt writes:
GOD BLESS AMERICA AND GEORGE w. BUSH - Could you please emphasize the point that we are in a struggle for civilization and the survival of the free world against anarchism and barbarism? - this is not just about Iraq or even the Middle East - it's about the fight to preserve our way of life against extremists who would return us to the Dark Ages. Would it be too much to ask to promote this point at every opportunity - does the White House feel the same??John

Harriet Miers
John, thank you for writing and for expressing yourself so wonderfully. I certainly agree with you. As I said before, we will persevere and we will not relent!



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ron, from Columbia, South Carolina writes:
We have apparent vulnarabilities when it comes to our transportation systems other than airlines. What is the plan to deal with these areas, and how can states and cities better their security measures when it comes to transportation and other soft targets such as schools and malls?

Harriet Miers
Thanks for writing, Ron. You raise a very important question about securing the homeland. One of the President's most important homeland initiatives is enhancing cargo security. The Container Security Initiative allows the Homeland Security Department to pre-screen cargo before it reaches our shores. What this means is that we're posting officers at foreign ports to identify and inspect high-risk shipments before they're loaded and shipped to America. We have also launched the Proliferation Security Initiative, which means that America is working with other governments to track and stop the shipments of dangerous weapons and dangerous cargo. The President is determined to keep lethal weapons and materials out of the hands of our enemies and away from our shores.

Our Administration is working very hard to make sure that coordination is good among the Federal, State, and local officials to do the best job possible to protect the homeland. Last year the President issued a directive to create a National Response Plan, which will provide a roadmap to enable Federal, State, and local governments to work together effectively and efficiently to prevent and respond to domestic incidents, no matter how big or small. The President has expanded support for first responders and state homeland security efforts. The Department of Homeland Security has asked all of us to remain ever vigilant, and that is an important role we can all play. We can be observant and careful. Our country is safer than it was on September 11, 2001, but we are still not safe.





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Victoria, from Knoxville writes:
I feel as if those lost in Washington, DC at the Pentagon and in Pennsylvania are often forgotten about when talking about 911. What are those areas doing to remember 911 or what has already been done?

Harriet Miers
Hello, Victoria. I know the President and Mrs. Bush do not forget the victims in Pennsylvania and at the Pentagon. I was struck by the President’s remarks about the victims of Flight 93 recently when he said, “We learned of passengers on a doomed plane who died with a courage that frightened their killers.” And he frequently has recalled the tremendous loss of the men and women at the Pentagon.

And just this week, the Navy announced that it will name two new amphibious ships in memory of those who died at the Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The USS Arlington will be named for Arlington, VA, where the Pentagon is. The USS Somerset will be named for the county in Pennsylvania that includes Shanksville. A previous ship in this series was named the USS New York in memory of those victims for the September 11 attacks.

Thanks for your sensitivity in making sure that no one is forgotten.





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

John, from Mineola, NY writes:
Dear Ms. Miers, How is the President Bush and Mrs. Bush to spend the third anniversary of 911?

I lost my brother, Pete, in the attack on the WTC. I will be spending some time at Ground Zero, the cemetary and then the rest of the day with my family. We deeply appreciate all the President has done to hold those responsible for my brothers murder accountable. He has held true to his word and has my (and my family's) support for a second term.

He has earned it and by the GRACE OF GOD he will get it

Thank him for me.

Sincerely, John

Harriet Miers
John, I am so sorry for your loss. I know our Nation grieves with you as we do with the families of all of the other victims of September 11, 2001. The President and Mrs. Bush will begin their commemoration tomorrow with a church service. Our faith helped sustain us during that awful day three years ago. Then there will be a moment of silence on the South lawn in memory of the victims of the terrorist attacks. The President and Mrs. Bush will meet with families of some of the victims and with First Responders. He will also record a live Radio Address to the Nation with the families and First Responders present. Your very kind comments about the President's resolve and leadership are much appreciated.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Krassimir, from Sofia, Bulgaria writes:
I don't have a question actually, but in remembrance of Sept. 11, I would like to express my condolence, sympathy and support for the American people.May God bless America

Harriet Miers
Dear Krassimir, thank you for your support and kind words. The American people are grateful. May God bless you.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Janet, from New England writes:
I know Saddam Hussein is gone but right now I'm not so sure the Iraqi people are going to elect a leader who's friendly toward the U.S.

I know our Homeland is more secure, but the number of terrorists and terrorists acts seem to be increasing. The attack on that Russian school was especially horrific. Tell me something to make me feel better about this War on Terror.

Harriet Miers
Janet, thank you for contacting us. The President told the American people last Thursday night that he wakes up every day thinking about how to better protect our country. After the September 11th attacks, he created within the White House the Homeland Security Council and appointed a Homeland Security Advisor to focus on what needed to be done to protect the Homeland. Then he led the most extensive reorganization of the Federal government in more than 50 years by creating the Department of Homeland Security. The Department brought together 22 entities and over 180,000 employees with critical homeland security missions and provided the Nation with a single Federal department with the primary mission to protect the homeland against terrorist threats.

President Bush also is leading the way on reforming and strengthening our intelligence community and improving the collection, analysis and sharing of intelligence. He has reformed the FBI so it focuses on preventing terrorist attack. He also created the Terrorist Threat Integration Center and the Terrorist Screening Center, and is calling now for the creation of the National Counterterrorism Center to build on TTIC and TSC and to serve as a central knowledge bank on known and suspected terrorists and international terror groups. He proposed and signed into law the USA PATRIOT Act that strengthened law enforcement’s abilities to prevent, investigate, and prosecute acts of terror and allowed the sharing of intelligence information that could not be done before.

A lot has been accomplished and I could go on. But, hopefully what I have set out is helpful. As the President recently recalled, four years ago, Afghanistan was the home base of al-Qaeda, Pakistan was a transit point for terrorist groups, Saudi Arabia was fertile ground for terrorist fundraising, Libya was secretly pursuing nuclear weapons, Iraq was a gathering threat, and al-Qaeda was largely unchallenged as it planned attacks. Yet, today, the government of a free Afghanistan is fighting terror, Pakistan is capturing terrorist leaders, Saudi Arabia is making raids and arrests, Libya is dismantling its weapons programs, the army of a free Iraq is fighting for freedom, and more than three-quarters of al-Qaeda's key members and associates have been detained or killed.

Many have joined in the war on terrorism, and America and the world are safer. I hope this helps you feel better about all the effort to protect America.





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lisa, from Richmond, VA writes:
Will flags be flown at half staff on Sept. 11th??

Harriet Miers
Hello, Lisa. Thanks for your question. The President has issued a Proclamation today naming Saturday as Patriot Day and calling for flags to fly at half staff. So we hope you will fly yours at half staff. The President’s proclamation will be posted at http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/proclamations/.





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kim, from NY writes:
I live in NYC and saw the PResident's helicopter flying over the Twin Towers on September 14th, 2001. Were you in the helicopter with him or did you see any of the damage? What was it like for you or what was it like for others who saw the helicopter?

Harriet Miers
I was not with the President on September 14, 2001. We did get to see some of what it was like on that day though. We all remember as he stood with the firefighters and other first responders and used the bullhorn to let them know their voices would be heard. The President often recounts how the workers in hard hats shouted out to him, “Whatever it takes.” And the President has pledged that he will never relent in defending America, whatever it takes.

I was with the President some time later when he and others commemorated the loss of lives from countries all over the world in a ceremony at Ground Zero in New York. It was a very solemn occasion I shall never forget, and I believe that it is important to recall that the innocent lives taken on September 11th included citizens from many countries around the world.

Thanks, Kim for writing. Your question helps us remember these very important days.





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jordan, from San Jose writes:
What can average citizens who really weren't affected by September 11th--I mean those of us who have been fortunate to have our jobs, and not have lossed any loved ones on Sept. 11th or in the military--well, what can we do to help? It is obvious our country is still in a time of mourning, so i would like to know how I can help those who have helped us.

Harriet Miers
One of the miracles of September 11, 2001, was how the spirit of America responded to such a tragedy. A most important thing that we can all do is to remember every day just how precious our freedom is and express how much we value it every chance we get in what we say and what we do. The President in 2001 reminded all Americans that they could participate in responding to the attacks by helping someone in need. The greatest strength of America is her people. So we don't really have an average citizen...every one of us is special and able to do special things.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tomorrow is a very special day, a time for reflection, prayer, thanksgivings for our freedom and for those who have sacrified to preserve them, commemoration of the loss we suffered, and celebration of the greatness of our Nation and her people. Thank you for joining us today and for your questions.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/ask/20040910.html

[mzteris]

171. she talks down to people

it sounds like she's talking to little children in nearly every response! (ALthough I admit I didnt' read them all - I started feeling a little queasy, doncha know.....)

This has to be the MOST egregious thing she said, though:

"Hello, Caleb. I believe you must be referring to some language in the Report that can be misread. Like the Administration, the Commission did not find evidence that, before 9/11, these long-established ties between Iraq and al Qaeda had evolved into a "collaborative operational relationship" for "carrying out attacks against the United States." - etc............ ad nauseum.....

Does she really believe that shit?? How f'ing stupid is she? Or rather how gullible does she think everyone else is?



I also found her statement that "all terrorists" are heartless....... sometimes what *we* call terrorists - are people fighting just as passionately for what THEY believe as we do.
Sam Adams and the early revolutionaries were considered terrorists, too, doncha know. It's all a matter of perspective. Powerless people will do egregious things to try and even the playing field and/or get the world's attention.

(NOT that I agree with nor condone what any terrorist has done - I don't believe violence is EVER the answer! But in order to truly resist an enemy, you have to understand where they're coming from.)

[Gnostic]

147. Money merry-go-round

Just follow the money. She gives 20 grand to a re-election campaign, he hires her for 20 grand to go through Nam papers. Give and take. Give a little more, take a little more.

I can't believe the American people stand for this corrupt cronyism.

[4dsc]

125. ORIGINAL INTENT=CONSERVATIVE JUDGE

I wish people would wake and smell the coffee here. Bush clearly stated that he expects Miers to interrupt the law as our founding father intended!! ORIGINAL INTENT is nothing more than CODE for rightwing judge!! Call her to the carpet!!

Did they even ask Judge Roberts about original intent of law and how it applies??

[mzteris]

127. Dobson endorses her

From Slate:

"James Dobson, of Focus on the Family, has already moved to support Miers, a faster nod than he gave to Roberts. The evangelical community murmurs that Dobson based his endorsement on those who have known Miers for 25 years at the Valley View Christian Church in Dallas. Her fellow parishioners bore witness to her evangelical faith. Marvin Olasky, a key influence in shaping Bush's faith-based initiatives, reported a similar review of her personal devotion on his blog. The emerging message seems to be: She's one of us and she's with us on abortion. Now if she can just avoid saying that to the Senate and speak in complete sentences, she will be on the court in no time."

[AuntieM1957]

130. Here's that churches MISSION STATEMENT for women

http://www.vvcc.org/wemmission.asp


:puke:

[Jersey Devil]

128. Skinner! Have you seen Harriet Miers' blog

It is precious!

http://harrietmiers.blogspot.com/

[Blue_In_AK]

139. A joke, right??

Somebody was QUICK.

[struggle4progress]

129. Nomination Met With Charges of Cronyism (LAT)

By Janet Hook, Times Staff Writer


WASHINGTON -- <snip>

The nomination of Harriet Miers, who has worked for Bush for more than a decade and was once his personal lawyer, was in keeping with Bush's management style of promoting trusted advisors to positions of broader influence, among them key Cabinet posts. <snip>

Kermit Hall, a constitutional law scholar who is president of the State University of New York at Albany, said that Miers' appointment was extraordinary because she had been so involved in the search for Bush's court nominees.

"No one can look at this appointment and say that the president is turning to the very best person he could find," said Hall. "To turn to someone so deeply enmeshed in the (judicial) selection process then elevate them to the position they have been working to orchestrate is, I think, pretty much without precedent." <snip>

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-crony4oct04,0,6198714.story?coll=la-home-headlines

[windbreeze]

134. Well, apparently the Hispanic people are angry her nom...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051003/ap_on_go_su_co/miers_hispanics
windbreeze

[Gnostic]

148. I suppose

Beat em til they talk Gonzales would have been a better choice?

Next

[question everything]

135. She is single and have no children

Does this mean she is a virgin?

If not, than she should have some understanding for recreational sex and for effective contraception, for guarding one's privacy in these matters.

[sandyd921]

138. Report that her law firm defrauded investors

Anyone else see this? David Sirota has a post on Huffington Post saying that the law firm she headed helped clients to defraud investors in two cases. The firm paid out $8 million fines in both instances.

Link:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-sirota/miers-led-law-firm-repeat_b_8277.html

[Voltaire99]

143. Why bother pretending? There are easily enough Dem senators...

...who would vote yea even if Bush nominated his own mother.

The pretense that this party has even an ounce of opposition within it to Bushism grows more risible with each passing surrender, from the Patriot Act and Iraq to Abu Ghraib, Gonzales, New Orleans, and Roberts.

Behold the party of surrender!

[VolcanoJen]

145. She handed Bush the infamous August 6, 2001 Presidential Daily Briefing

Per Atrios.

Michael Moore, much?

[Gnostic]

146. I know she wears a cross....

....around her neck and is an active Methodist.

And what will scare me is if she wears and displays that cross while sitting on the bench.

[mzteris]

153. She's not a Methodist

she belongs to an EVANGELICAL "non-denomination" church.

[crispini]

154. Miers "anti-choice." -- Dallas campaign manager

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=4966258&mesg_id=4966258

[Catchawave]

155. OpEd from Mercury News

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/opinion/12812852.htm

Which doesn't provide any more info that's already been posted, but has a lovely bottom line:

"But there are many industrious, able lawyers with integrity and impressive client lists in America. Miers must show what distinguishes her and qualifies her to sit on the Supreme Court -- other than fidelity to her patron."

[Catchawave]

156. The Nation (David Corn)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/thenation/20051003/cm_thenation/326302_1&printer=1;_ylt=AorLlmySXAwE5sWH4KMLXPk__8QF;_ylu=X3oDMTA3MXN1bHE0BHNlYwN0bWE-

The Nation -- Here we go again. Another pick for the Supreme Court without much--or, in this case, any--judicial experience. And that will make it hard for senators--or anyone else--to assess what sort of Justice Harriet Miers, currently George W. Bush's White House counsel, will be if the Senate confirms her as Bush's pick to replace the retiring Sandra Day O'Connor. In announcing his selection of Miers, Bush said, "I believe that senators of both parties will find that Harriet Miers's talent, experience and judicial philosophy make her a superb choice."

But what precisely is her "judicial philosophy"? And how can it be discerned? Miers has never been a judge (which should not be a disqualification). She spent most of her career as a corporate lawyer (Bush was once a client) before joining the Bush Administration as staff secretary. Does she qualify as a crony? According to the Los Angeles Times, Miers introduced Bush and Alberto Gonzales in the 1990s. (Given Miers's close personal connection to Bush, senators might want to ask whether it's good for the nation to have a Supreme Court Justice who has such a tight bond with a person whose decisions and policies come before the Court.) In private practice, she headed one of Texas' largest law firms, Locke Lidell & Sapp, and as a trial litigator she represented Microsoft and Disney. She also racked up a series of firsts: first woman to lead a major law firm in the Lone Star State, first woman to become president of the Dallas Bar Association, first woman to become president of the state bar.

But--again--what is her "judicial philosophy"? It seems that even conservatives are not sure--and worried. Conservative bloggers and commenters quickly expressed anxiety over this nomination, not knowing if Miers is truly a conservative. "Utterly Underwhelmed," proclaimed conservative blogger Michelle Malkin. On one conservative site, a reader posted campaign finance reports showing that Miers donated $1,000 to the Democratic Party in 1988 and $1,000 to Al Gore's presidential campaign that year, as well as $1,000 to a Democratic senatorial candidate the previous year. (Egads! Maybe this is not a disaster of a pick for Democrats.) Soon after Bush unveiled the Miers nomination, David Frum, a former Bush speechwriter, observed:

I worked with Harriet Miers. She's a lovely person: intelligent, honest, capable, loyal, discreet, dedicated....I could pile on the praise all morning. But there is no reason at all to believe either that she is a legal conservative or - and more importantly - that she has the spine and steel necessary to resist the pressures that constantly bend the American legal system toward the left.

[Catchawave]

157. Wikipedia - many links !!!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harriet_Miers


Harriet Ellan Miers (born August 10, 1945 in Dallas, Texas ) is an American lawyer who is the current nominee for Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. She is the current White House Counsel in the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush, who has described her as "a pit bull in size 6 shoes." She was Deputy Chief of Staff prior to her appointment as White House Counsel to replace Alberto Gonzales when he was appointed Attorney General. Prior to her service in the Bush administration she was a lawyer in private practice for 27 years, and served as the first woman president of both the Dallas Bar Association and later the State Bar of Texas. She also served one term on a Dallas City Council. Miers has never served as a judge and has never argued a case before the Supreme Court.

Miers was nominated for the Supreme Court by Bush on October 3, 2005, to replace Sandra Day O'Connor, who announced in July her retirement pending the confirmation of a successor.

[mtnsnake]

158. From all indications, she's to the Supreme Court what Brown is to FEMA...

UNQUALIFIED.

Oh wait, she ran a lottery commission in Texas from '95 to '01.

Only in America!!

[brainshrub]

159. As a lawyer for Microsoft, she argued that people who bought defective

software weren't "injured."

The link is to the story, but the comment below is from SlashDot:

http://www.slingshot.org/?p=135

DaveM writes "Bush's most recent Supreme Court nominee, Harriet Miers, successfully argued that people who were sold defective software by Microsoft weren't "injured," and couldn't participate in a class action against the company. The case involved unstable compression features in MS DOS 6.0, which were corrected by a $9.95 update, MS DOS 6.2. Plaintiffs wanted Microsoft to offer the updates for free, but eventually lost to Miers' arguments."

[TaleWgnDg]

165. That's not unusual for an attorney to argue . . .

.
That's not unusual for an attorney to argue, for it smacks of a very basic legal presentation. It's the starting place. Thus, Miers was correct to so argue for her client. To do otherwise could be argued malpractice against her and her law firm. Sheesh.

[Bozita]

169. BBC: Microsoft settlement was a joke -- link

Microsoft lost the case. Take a look at what Bush's DOJ settled for.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/1635317.stm

Friday, 2 November, 2001, 23:08 GMT
Microsoft rivals blast 'toothless' deal

Competitors fear Windows XP will further extend Microsoft's dominance

Consumer groups and Microsoft's competitors have hit out at the US Justice Department (DoJ) for not coming down hard enough on the software giant.

It doesn't punish Microsoft for past behaviour, it just tells them to quit doing what they shouldn't be doing

James Love, US consumer championThe final details of the anti-trust sanctions to be taken against Microsoft have yet to emerge after both parties agreed to settle out of court on Friday.

But the proposed DoJ settlement has already been branded 'toothless' and a 'sell-out' by the trade body representing some of Microsoft's biggest competitors.

It is clear the proposal will not deter Microsoft's illegal behaviour or prevent it from leveraging its operating system monopoly into markets for other products and services

Computer and Communications Industry AssociationAOL Time Warner, whose Netscape product was at the heart of the US government's original court action against Microsoft, has said the proposed sanctions against the software giant would be too easily evaded.

While Sun Microsystems has said it does not think the proposed settlement goes far enough.

more...

[TaleWgnDg]

172. These are not the same lawsuits . . .

.
These are not the same lawsuits. The first lawsuit raised which I responded to . . . is about a class action lawsuit claiming defective MSFT DOS software which Miers when representing MSFT succeeded in persuading the court to decertify as a class action lawsuit. As I stated above, had Miers not asserted such a claim then she and her law firm may have been subject to malpractice. Any lawyer worth his/her salt would so argue that same issue.

The second lawsuit raised is the lawsuit that you cite re U.S. government's (DoJ) and states Attorneys General claims of monopoly against MSFT. That being said, I agree w/ you about the DoJ's (anti-monopoly) case against MSFT that GeorgeW's DoJ went soft on MSFT in a settlement agreement leaving the states Attorneys General on the hook.

.

[Whoa_Nelly]

163. New Supreme Court nominee's ties to Bush's National Guard scandal

Credit goes to Fridays Child for posting this yesterday:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4958171

UPDATED: New Supreme Court nominee's ties to Bush's National Guard scandal

<snip>

White House counsel Harriet Miers has never served as a judge before, and while this career "hard-nosed lawyer" (as she is invariably described) from Texas certainly deserves some kudos for a trailblazing career as a female lawyer, she's not a legal scholar, either.

But she does know better than just about anyone else where the bodies are buried (relax, it's a just a metaphor...we hope) in President Bush's National Guard scandal. In fact, Bush's Texas gubenatorial campaign in 1998 (when he was starting to eye the White House) actually paid Miers $19,000 to run an internal pre-emptive probe of the potential scandal. Not long after, a since-settled lawsuit alleged that the Texas Lottery Commission -- while chaired by Bush appointee Miers -- played a role in a multi-million dollar cover-up of the scandal.

Whatever Miers knows about the president's troubled past, she may soon be keeping that information underneath the black robe of an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Miers, who not long ago succeeded Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez as White House counsel, is now Bush's pick to replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor:

more...
http://www.pnionline.com/dnblog/attytood/archives/002383.html

[Seansky]

164. With Bush getting support from Dems on this one, I am lost on

what we can do. I am sick that some dems have supported Roberts and will probably support her as well.

I still believe this is a "get out of jail" move...

[chat_noir]

166. a kick for the cubicle dwellers getting home from work

:dem:

[Sarah Ibarruri]

170. Maybe Rove chose Miers to save his ass?

I think Miers is Rove's choice. I believe Bush, having no brain of his own, does whatever he is told by Rove. Rove is now watching people around him being investigated, implicated in crime, and indicted, and I believe he feels there is a remote possibility he might end up indicted, charged, tried, found guilty. If he were to be, you bet it would be appealed all the way up to the Supreme Court. I doubt this Miers woman would recuse herself. Like all Neo-Cons, she's an unethical and weird creature: :freak:

[Callboy]

173. Harry Itmeirs?