Miers?  Isn’t that the German word for “Souter”…?

John Resnick emails me a reprint of a Dallas News profile on Miers from 1991 (login required).  A bit: The answer is elusive. For Harriet Miers essentially is a shy person with a protective layer of quiet, unassuming reserve. Over time, she also has developed a lawyerly caginess that enables her to play her cards—personal, political and professional—very close to the vest. She weighs her words judiciously, seldom allowing an

From The New Republic’s Ryan Lizza: This pick reinforces several traits Bush doesn’t want reinforced right now. It’s a pro-business pick. In Texas Miers specialized in “commercial litigation, including antitrust and trade regulations and intellectual property disputes” according to this bio. It’s a pro-crony pick. She was Bush’s personal lawyer as far back as the 1980s, and obviously loyalty to Bush trumped intellectual firepower. Finally, the Miers pick cements the

A freak, very sharp electrical storm Mark Furman / Nazis Osama bin Laden, “or some other angry Muslim dude or dudes” “The Man” Heavy Metal Music George W. Bush (specifically, his “arrogance”) Judge Lance Ito / Playstation’s “Grand Theft Auto:  San Andreas” The Rodney King verdict Anthrax *

First, here’s Rich Lowry: Just talked to a very pro-Bush legal type who says he is ashamed and embarrassed this morning. Says Miers was with an undistinguished law firm; never practiced constitutional law; never argued any big cases; never was on law review; has never written on any of the important legal issues. Says she’s not even second rate, but is third rate. Dozens and dozens of women would have

From the AP, “Miers known for staying out of limelight”: Among a host of qualities that White House counsel Harriet Ellan Miers shares with new Supreme Court chief justice John Roberts is the apparent lack of any personal legal agenda. Known for an exacting, no-nonsense style, Miers—like Roberts—tends to avoid the limelight. Once described by White House chief of staff Andrew Card as “one of the favorite people in the

From BBC News: Former South African President Nelson Mandela has topped a BBC poll to find the person most people would like to lead a fantasy world government. More than 15,000 people worldwide took part in the interactive Power Play game, in which players were invited to choose a team of 11 to run the world from a list of around 100 of the most powerful leaders, thinkers and other