WASHINGTON — Seeking to quell unrest on his conservative flank, President Bush mounted a defense Tuesday of Supreme Court nominee Harriet E. Miers, insisting that his friend and former personal lawyer was "the best person I could find" for the job.
"I can understand people not knowing Harriet. She hasn't been one of these publicity hounds," Bush said during a Rose Garden news conference, his first in more than four months. "She's been somebody who just quietly does her job. But when she does it, she performs, you see."
Asked whether she was the most qualified person in the country to serve on the high court, Bush was blunt: "Yes. Otherwise, I wouldn't have" nominated her.
Bush's choice of Miers has -- at least at first -- raised more hackles within his own party's ranks than with Democrats, a rare occurrence during his years in the White House.
Still, with most Republican senators expressing confidence in the president's pick -- and Democrats expressing relief that Bush did not choose someone more flamboyantly conservative -- her confirmation appears on track, barring unforeseen developments.
In another rarity for the president, he acknowledged that he responded to the views of senators, including Democrats, in making his choice.
He even quoted the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Patrick J. Leahy of Vermont, who had urged the selection of a nominee from outside the "judicial monastery."
"I actually listen to senators when they bring forth ideas," Bush said. "And one of the most interesting ideas I heard was, 'Why don't you pick somebody who hasn't been a judge? Why don't you reach outside?' And so, recognizing that Harriet will bring not only expertise, but a fresh approach, I nominated her."
Miers has been a trusted aide to Bush for years. She handled his personal legal affairs while he was governor of Texas in the mid-1990s. She has been a member of his staff since he became president in 2001 and this year was appointed White House counsel.
Bush repeated that he hopes the Senate can vote on Miers' nomination before the Thanksgiving holiday. But he does not plan to release documents to senators involving her work at the White House, saying that would violate executive privilege.
"I just can't tell you how important it is for us to guard executive privilege in order for there to be crisp decision-making in the White House," Bush said.
