Harriet Miers, George Bush's choice to fill a US Supreme Court vacancy, has withdrawn her nomination.

The 2,000th US military death in Iraq could not have come at a worse time for President George Bush.

THE White House yesterday said President Bush is confident Harriet Miers will be confirmed to the Supreme Court, even though a Democrat on the Senate panel that will hold hearings on her nomination said she doesn’t have the votes.

US President George Bush today vowed to avoid the “background noise” of criminal investigations and other Republican political problems to focus on the county’s needs.

IN THE face of criticism from the left and right, US President George W Bush insisted yesterday that Harriet Miers is the best-qualified candidate for the Supreme Court and assured sceptical conservatives that his lawyer-turned-nominee shares his judicial philosophy — and won’t stray from a rightward course.

US PRESIDENT George W Bush nominated White House counsel Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court yesterday, turning to a lawyer who has never been a judge to replace Sandra Day O’Connor and help reshape the nation’s judiciary.

President George Bush has chosen Harriet Miers, White House counsel and a loyal member of the president’s inner circle, to replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O’Connor on the US Supreme Court, a senior administration official said today.