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Derek Seidman and M. Junaid Alam

Harriet Miers Brian Fanelli

Information recently given to the Senate and Harriet Miers' loyalty toward the president reveal that the nominee to replace Justice Sandra Day O'Connor on the Supreme Court shares the same ideology as the current administration, which could pose serious problems for Roe V. Wade and other progressive issues.

One thing certain about Miers is that she is a loyalist to the president, which is possibly why she was elevated to the Supreme Court, despite her lack of qualifications. Recent documents show that Miers, who is the president's personal lawyer, has gushed over the president on several occasions.

"You are the best governor ever-deserving of great respect," she wrote to Bush days after his 51st birthday in July 1997, which was highlighted in more than 2,000 pages of official correspondence and personal notes that were published on Oct. 10 by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

Justice O'Connor's replacement went on to say that the president and his wife were "the greatest!" She also told him: "Keep up the great work, Texas is blessed." It is not shocking that the president picked Miers for the Supreme Court, especially since she has been stroking his ego since he was the governor of Texas.

Miers overwhelming obedience to the Bush administration should indicate that she would uphold the positions of the current administration on the Supreme Court. If she sticks to the policies of the administration, then she will fight to ban abortions, limit gay rights, and give unfair breaks to corporations, like the Bush administration has done.

Other recently publicized information outlines more of her views. It has been revealed that as the president of the State Bar of Texas in 1993, Miers tried to get the American Bar Association to change its stance on abortion from backing abortion rights to a position of neutrality.

A questionnaire Miers answered also reveals her views on abortion. The Supreme Court nominee pledged her support in 1989 for a constitutional amendment banning abortions, except when necessary to save the life of a mother.

The questionnaire was sent to Miers by the Texas United for Life group. The material was given to the Senate on Oct. 18. She also checked "yes" on the questionnaire when asked whether she would oppose the use of public money for abortions and whether she would use her power to keep people who are pro-choice off of city health boards and commissions in Texas.

Miers stance on abortion has alarmed some pro-choice groups across the country. Kim Gandy, president of the pro-choice group National Organization for Women in Washington, D.C., is hesitant to support Miers. "This is the fifth vote. This is the swing vote. This is the O'Connor seat," she told Women's eNews recently.

Like Gandy acknowledged, Miers nomination matters so much because she is going to be replacing Justice O'Connor, who was the crucial swing vote on abortion rights, affirmative action, and other issues. Justice O'Connor provided balance to the court and upheld important rulings that progressives worked to gain over the years.

Republican and Democratic senators must be relentless with questions during the nomination process in the Senate, so Americans can understand where Justice O'Connor's replacement stands on key issues. Democrats must also be tougher on Miers than they were on Chief Justice John Roberts, who slid through the Senate nomination with ease a few weeks ago.

If you found this piece useful, please keep us alive by making a donation to our second anniversary fund drive .

Brian Fanelli 21 Peace and global justice activist Student at West Chester University in West Chester, PA with a major in comparative literature and minors in journalism and creative writing. His e-mail is BF566175@wcupa.edu.