First Lady dragged into turmoil over judge's nomination

[emad]

First Lady dragged into turmoil over judge's nomination
By Philip Sherwell in Washington
(Filed: 16/10/2005)

Long regarded as President George W Bush's greatest and most untouchable political asset, Laura Bush has finally been dragged into the chaos embroiling her husband's administration.

The First Lady played a key role in his controversial decision to nominate Harriet Miers, a close family friend who she first met at university in Texas, as a Supreme Court judge, The Sunday Telegraph has learnt. That decision has sparked the most serious crisis of Mr Bush's almost five years in office.

Mrs Bush personally backed Ms Miers for the vacancy on the country's highest court after lobbying publicly for a woman to replace the retiring Sandra Day O'Connor. She then angered conservative critics of the nomination by telling a television interviewer that sexism was probably behind their opposition to the choice.

Although Mrs Bush has sought less of the limelight than other First Ladies - most notably Hillary Clinton - it was not the first time that she has been drafted in to help her husband as he faced political difficulties. Most recently, she helped in a damage limitation campaign in the fall-out over Hurricane Katrina. But the First Lady's normally impeccable political instincts seemed to desert her when she appeared last week alongside her husband on America's most popular morning television show.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/10/16/wlaura16.xml&sSheet=/news/2005/10/16/ixworld.html

[opihimoimoi]

1. They overused her and now she has become a POS too

[Benhurst]

2. She was more effective staying alone in the White House with

her pills, booze and cigarettes.

[MountainLaurel]

3. Turmoil? Gonna be a three-Valium-a-day week.

:eyes: