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In Speeches, Miers Heaped Praise on President

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Times Staff Writer

Critics have poked fun at the effusive greeting card messages that Harriet E. Miers used to send to then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush and that have become public following her nomination to the Supreme Court.

The glowing remarks were not limited to greeting cards, according to the texts of recent speeches and other public remarks released Monday by lawmakers.

“President Bush’s vision, his discipline and relentless dedication, his hard work and his likability have made it possible for all of us in this room to participate in the great enterprise we know as the United States,” she told a group of White House interns in June.

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“Most importantly, these qualities in President Bush make a brighter future for our nation and people all around the world possible.”

“Serving President Bush and Mrs. Bush is an impossible-to-describe privilege,” she told Pepperdine Law School graduates in May.

The first couple “have inspired me long before he became president,” she told the interns.

“My admiration for the president’s leadership and Mrs. Bush’s leadership has been reaffirmed on virtually a daily basis,” she told a Washington law firm in July.

“I was with him on Sept. 11th, 2001,” she said in June. “The nation witnessed a resolute, determined, strong leader who swiftly responded to the challenges our country faced.... I believe I can say for all of us here, never were we so proud to be Americans, and never were we so proud of a president and first lady.”

In one speech, she spoke of Bush’s little-known talent as an editor. “All those editing skills, and you would think the president was a lawyer himself. He works so constantly. We’ll keep an eye out and make sure he does not start keeping track of his billable hours,” she told the interns. “Time and time again, it seemed, the president was able to zero in on the most difficult aspect of an issue and provide exactly the direction needed. Guess that is why he is the president.”

She also spoke of how Bush hugged relatives of a soldier who had been killed in Iraq.

“This is a scene I will never forget for the selfless caring and value and sacrifice it depicted. So much of what is great about America is wrapped up in one big hug.”

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