Harriet Miers Unplugged
For all that talk about Harriet Miers' being a paper-pushing idolizer of the president, acquaintances say there is another side to her. The Supreme Court nominee is a tough, ambitious lawyer who willingly used her spurs in cowboy country, a competitor who clawed her way to Texas' legal pinnacle and a behind-the-scenes player who held her own and then some in the White House's West Wing, they say. Observations, testimonials and tidbits from friends and former colleagues have put Miers' life in sharper focus and shaped the debate over whether the 60-year-old White House counsel can survive the conservative maelstrom over her nomination.
The Dallas City Council was her lone elective office. That run, however, paled in comparison with hard-nosed campaigns for president of the Dallas Bar Association and the State Bar of Texas, which required strong political skills. Miers was the first female president of both groups. Miers, one of 12 women in her Southern Methodist University Law School class, has a track record of surmounting challenges and stiff opposition. She was the first woman hired by her Dallas law firm, in 1972, and the first female president of Locke, Purnell, Rain & Harrell.
Miers developed a reputation as a meticulous, persistent inquisitor and worked for clients such as Microsoft Corp. and Walt Disney Co. Some critics have complained about a singular focus on dotting I's and crossing T's at the expense of the big picture. Miers' acquaintance with Bush, whom she met in the 1990s, led to a professional relationship marked by unwavering loyalty since Bush was Texas governor.
When the newly elected president needed a White House staff secretary in 2001, he turned to the person he had relied upon as a candidate to research any weaknesses that could be exploited by his opponents. She later served as deputy chief of staff for policy and now, counsel. She was in charge of the White House selection of a chief justice nominee, vetting candidates' records and often playing the tough questioner. Conservative columnists are clamoring for Miers to withdraw her nomination, citing her lack of a judicial record while internet blogs are cattily complaining about her hair style and use of black eyeliner.
The legal profession became her life. She never married, and frequently travels from Washington to Dallas to be with her ailing mother, Sally, 91, who is in a nursing home. Like the president, she has a brother named Jeb - one of three brothers along with seven nieces and nephews. A sister, Catherine, died in 2003. Years ago, concern about his sister's living alone in Dallas prompted one brother to buy Miers a .45 caliber Smith & Wesson. Texas Supreme Court Judge Nathan Hecht, a friend, said Miers kept the gun is a lousy shot.
The Dallas City Council was her lone elective office. That run, however, paled in comparison with hard-nosed campaigns for president of the Dallas Bar Association and the State Bar of Texas, which required strong political skills. Miers was the first female president of both groups. Miers, one of 12 women in her Southern Methodist University Law School class, has a track record of surmounting challenges and stiff opposition. She was the first woman hired by her Dallas law firm, in 1972, and the first female president of Locke, Purnell, Rain & Harrell.
Miers developed a reputation as a meticulous, persistent inquisitor and worked for clients such as Microsoft Corp. and Walt Disney Co. Some critics have complained about a singular focus on dotting I's and crossing T's at the expense of the big picture. Miers' acquaintance with Bush, whom she met in the 1990s, led to a professional relationship marked by unwavering loyalty since Bush was Texas governor.
When the newly elected president needed a White House staff secretary in 2001, he turned to the person he had relied upon as a candidate to research any weaknesses that could be exploited by his opponents. She later served as deputy chief of staff for policy and now, counsel. She was in charge of the White House selection of a chief justice nominee, vetting candidates' records and often playing the tough questioner. Conservative columnists are clamoring for Miers to withdraw her nomination, citing her lack of a judicial record while internet blogs are cattily complaining about her hair style and use of black eyeliner.
The legal profession became her life. She never married, and frequently travels from Washington to Dallas to be with her ailing mother, Sally, 91, who is in a nursing home. Like the president, she has a brother named Jeb - one of three brothers along with seven nieces and nephews. A sister, Catherine, died in 2003. Years ago, concern about his sister's living alone in Dallas prompted one brother to buy Miers a .45 caliber Smith & Wesson. Texas Supreme Court Judge Nathan Hecht, a friend, said Miers kept the gun is a lousy shot.
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