Statement on Congressional Action on Homeland Security Legislation October 7, 2005

Administration of George W. Bush, 2005 / Oct. 8

I applaud the Congress for its work on radiological and nuclear threats, and target the homeland security legislation. The re- security funding to areas with the greatest sources provided by this bill will help us need. The legislation will help make our protect our borders, upgrade explosives de- homeland more secure. tection technology in our airports, address

The President’s Radio Address October 8, 2005

Good morning. This week I nominated In her law practice, Ms. Miers handled an exceptional individual to replace retiring hundreds of cases in State and Federal Justice Sandra Day O’Connor on the Su- courts, from massive commercial litigation preme Court of the United States. Harriet to criminal cases to civil disputes. She Miers is a remarkable woman and an ac- served in local government on the Dallas complished attorney. She has wide experi- City Council and later held office in State ence in the courtroom and at the highest government as well. levels of government, and she will be an As Ms. Miers rose through the legal outstanding addition to our Nation’s highest ranks, she also put in long hours of volun- Court. teer legal work on behalf of the poor and Harriet Miers was born and raised in underprivileged, and served as a leader for Dallas, Texas, where she attended the pub- more than a dozen community groups and lic schools. When illness struck her family, charities. Beginning in the 1990s, Harriet Harriet went to work to help pay for her Miers was regularly rated one of the top own college education. She stayed close to 100 lawyers in America and one of the home in Dallas to attend Southern Meth- top 50 women lawyers in the country. odist University and received a bachelor’s Because of her skill and record of re- degree in mathematics. markable achievement, in 2001, I asked her She remained at SMU for law school to work in my administration. For the past and earned a place on the law review. After 5 years, Harriet Miers has served our Na- graduation, she was hired for a prestigious tion in critical roles, including White House 2-year clerkship for a Federal trial judge. Counsel, one of the most important legal From there, she went on to an extraor- positions in the country. As counsel, Ms. dinary career in private practice and public Miers addresses complex matters of con- service and became a pioneer for women stitutional law, serves as the chief legal ad- lawyers. She was the first woman to be visor during regular meetings of the Na- hired at her law firm, the first woman to tional Security Council, and handles sen- become president of that firm, the first woman to lead a large law firm in the State sitive issues of executive-congressional rela- of Texas, the first woman head of the Dal- tions, among many other essential duties. las Bar Association, and the first woman She has led the effort to help nominate elected as president of the State Bar of outstanding judges for the Federal judici- Texas. ary. She was in charge of the process that

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resulted in the appointment of Chief Jus- pret the text of the Constitution and stat- tice John Roberts. utes as written, not as he or she might Harriet Miers would come to the Su- wish they were written. And she knows that preme Court with a background in private judges should have a restrained and modest practice and high-government service, and role in our constitutional democracy. Like this puts her in strong company. Indeed, Justice William Rehnquist and Justice since 1933, 10 of the 34 Justices came to Byron White, who were also nominated to the Supreme Court directly from positions the Supreme Court directly from legal posi- in the executive branch, such as the one tions in the executive branch, Harriet Miers Ms. Miers now holds. And no Supreme will be prudent in exercising judicial power Court nominee in the last 35 years has and firm in defending judicial independ- exceeded Harriet Miers’s overall range of ence. experience in courtroom litigation; service When she goes before the Senate, I am in Federal, State, and local government; confident that all Americans will see what leadership in local, State, and national bar I see every day: Harriet Miers is a woman associations; and pro bono and charitable of intelligence, strength, and conviction. activities. And when she is confirmed by the Senate, Throughout her life, Ms. Miers has ex- I am confident that she will leave a lasting celled at everything she has done. She’s mark on the Supreme Court and will be been a leader and a trailblazer for women a Justice who makes all Americans proud. lawyers, and her work has earned the re- Thank you for listening. spect of attorneys across the Nation. I chose Harriet Miers for the Court both because of her accomplishments and because NOTE: The address was recorded at 7:35 a.m. I know her character and her judicial phi- on October 7 in the Cabinet Room at the losophy. Harriet Miers will be the type of White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on judge I said I would nominate, a good, October 8. The transcript was made available conservative judge. by the Office of the Press Secretary on Octo- She shares my belief that judges should ber 7 but was embargoed for release until strictly interpret the Constitution and laws, the broadcast. The Office of the Press Sec- not legislate from the bench. She under- retary also released a Spanish language tran- stands that the role of a judge is to inter- script of this address.

Statement on the Earthquake in Pakistan October 8, 2005

The people of the United States offer and we stand ready to provide additional our deepest sympathies for the loss of life assistance as needed. My thoughts and and destruction caused by the earthquake prayers are with those affected by this hor- that struck outside of Islamabad. Our initial rible tragedy. deployments of assistance are underway,

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