Bush stands by nominee's credentials

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President Bush yesterday insisted Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers will be a conservative voice on the high court, as first lady Laura Bush said sexism is possibly playing a role in the opposition to Miss Miers.

"I told the American people when I campaigned for president the type of judge I'll pick," Mr. Bush told NBC during his eighth visit to the Gulf Coast. "I picked that type of person in John Roberts, and I picked that type of person in Harriet Miers."

"Today" show host Matt Lauer cited a story in The Washington Times that nearly half the Senate's Republicans are not convinced of Miss Miers' worthiness to replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. Mr. Bush said he had expected such doubts because Miss Miers has never been a judge.

"Just because she hasn't served on the bench doesn't mean that she can't be a great Supreme Court justice," Mr. Bush said. "She is not going to legislate from the bench."

Asked whether the nominee's detractors are sexist, Mrs. Bush, appearing alongside her husband, said, "That's possible, I think that's possible." The statement echoed comments by presidential adviser Ed Gillespie, who last week suggested that conservatives who opposed Miss Miers are elitist and sexist.

Conservative activists expressed distress over the White House tactic of questioning their motives.

"I have heard people say it's a slap in the face of conservatives, but the consensus -- and certainly my view -- is that it is sad and disappointing," said Christopher C. Horner, a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute.

"We've seen the White House and now the president and the first lady repeating things that their lieutenants have said that are the fall-back arguments of the left -- the questioning of conservatives' motives when conservatives are, in fact, questioning the nominee's qualifications," Mr. Horner said.

Some critics of the nomination say Mr. Bush missed a chance to pick an experienced judge with conservative credentials.

"I don't think it's fair to call us sexist or elitist just because we ask the question, 'Why did he choose her instead of so many better-qualified candidates?' " said Richard Cizik, vice president for governmental affairs at the National Association of Evangelicals.