A conservative Republican senator who'd had some concerns about Harriet Miers says she made the "right decision" in withdrawing her nomination to the Supreme Court.

Miers withdrew from consideration Thursday.

Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott of Mississippi told CNN his objections to Miers weren't based on her philosophy, but were about her qualifications and her competence.

He says he thinks the issue of executive privilege and whether the White House should release records of conversations between Miers and President Bush was a "serious concern" of Miers.

He says he's heard that she's "very loyal" to Mr. Bush as his White House counsel, and concerned about protecting his right of confidentiality.

Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer of New York says President Bush should take his time this time, and offer Democrats "real consultation" on the next nominee. He says Mr. Bush's assertion that a nominee thinks as he does on issues like abortion "can only spell trouble for his presidency and for America."

Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada, who had recommended Miers to the President, accused "the radical right wing of the Republican Party" of killing the nomination.

“Apparently Ms. Miers didn’t satisfy those who want to pack the Supreme Court with ridged ideologies. The only voices heard in this process heard in this process were the far right. She wasn't even given a chance to speak for herself before the Senate Judiciary Committee,” he told CNN.

Miers’ supporters, including both Texas senators, expressed disappointment at the decision.

“Harriet Miers is a good friend and devoted to her nation,” said Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas.

“I remain confident that Harriet Miers would have made a superb Supreme Court justice. She is and will continue to be a trailblazer in the legal community. My admiration of her has only increased because of this action,” she said.

“She made this decision because she believed it was right for the president and the country. While I am disappointed she will not be on the bench, we must begin to focus on filling the vacancy to the high court. This is a task so critical to our nation that partisan politics must be set aside,” she said.

“I’m disappointed that Harriet Miers has asked the President to withdraw her nomination to the United States Supreme Court," said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.

"While I think it’s a shame, this is quite a tough process, and I can certainly understand. I encourage the President to submit a new nominee as quickly as possible in order to minimize the disruption to the Supreme Court term that is already underway," he said.

Former Waco resident Priscilla Owen, who was sworn in as a justice on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals this summer, is among those on the short list of possible nominees to succeed retiring U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.

Possible Nominees
(Source: Associated Press)

SAMUEL A. ALITO, age 55: A strong conservative voice in his 15 years on the Philadelphia-based 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which is considered to be among the most liberal. He has been dubbed "Scalito" or "Scalia-lite" by some lawyers because his judicial philosophy invites comparisons to Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.

EMILIO GARZA, 58: Sits on the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and was considered for a Supreme Court seat by the first President Bush. He has become best known for his views that Roe v. Wade should be overturned and that abortion regulation should be decided by state legislatures.

ALBERTO GONZALES, 50: U.S. attorney general and former White House counsel. Critics contend a memo he wrote on treatment of terrorism detainees helped lead to abuses like those seen at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. Conservatives have urged Bush not to nominate him.

EDITH HOLLAN JONES, 55: Has served on the 5th Circuit since 1985. The first President Bush considered Jones for a vacancy on the Supreme Court in 1990, but nominated David H. Souter.

J. MICHAEL LUTTIG, 51: Worked in the Justice Department during the administration of the first President Bush and has served on the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va. He was a law clerk to the late Chief Justice Warren Burger from 1983-84.

MICHAEL McCONNELL, 50: A judge on the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. He enjoys bipartisan support in the academic community. Based on his reading of the law, he pposed President Clinton's impeachment and the Supreme Court's 2000 ruling in Bush v. Gore that made George W. Bush president.

THEODORE B. OLSON, 64: Was solicitor general, the president's top Supreme Court lawyer. He argued the Supreme Court case that gave Bush the victory in the 2000 presidential election. His wife, Barbara, a conservative commentator, was killed when terrorists crashed a jet into the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001.

LARRY D. THOMPSON, 59: Was deputy attorney general during Bush's first term, making Thompson the federal government's highest-ranking black law enforcement official. Thompson is a longtime friend of Clarence Thomas who sat next to Thomas more than a decade ago during contentious Senate hearings on Thomas' nomination to the Supreme Court.

J. HARVIE WILKINSON III, 60: Also on the 4th Circuit. He has been consistently conservative in his rulings since being put on the court by Reagan in 1984. Wilkinson wrote the majority 4th Circuit opinion in 1996 upholding the "don't ask, don't tell" policy that barred gays serving in the military from revealing their sexual orientation.

PRISCILLA OWEN, 50: Owen was confirmed in May for a seat on the 5th Circuit after a drawn-out Senate battle. Democrats argued that Owen let her political beliefs to color her rulings. They were particularly critical of her decisions in abortion cases involving teenagers.

MIGUEL ESTRADA, 44: President Bush nominated Estrada, a conservative Hispanic lawyer, to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit during his first term, but the nomination was thwarted by Senate Democrats who said Estrada lacked the judicial experience to serve and didn't make clear his views on abortion.

EDITH BROWN CLEMENT, 57: On the 5th Circuit since 2001, Clement is known as a no-nonsense judge with a reputation for being tough on crime and meting out stiff sentences. Her 99-0 Senate confirmation vote to the circuit court in November 2001 suggests she has broad appeal. She was touted as a top possibility for the vacancy to which Roberts was nominated.

JANICE ROGERS BROWN, 56: Newly confirmed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit after a bitter Senate battle and filibuster, Brown is an outspoken black Christian
conservative who supports limits on abortion rights and corporate liability.

-ALICE BATCHELDER, 61: A judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, Batchelder has been a reliable conservative vote on abortion, affirmative action and gun control. Bush's father appointed the former high school English teacher to the court with jurisdiction over Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee.

KAREN WILLIAMS, 54: A former trial lawyer, Williams is known as one of the most conservative judges on the nation's most conservative federal appeals court, the Richmond-based 4th Circuit. In 1999, Williams wrote the 4th Circuit opinion that would have paved the way for overturning the landmark 1966 decision in Miranda that outlines the rights read to criminal suspects. The Supreme Court voted 7-2 to let it stand.

MAURA CORRIGAN, 57: The Michigan Supreme Court justice is a walking billboard for the conservative mantra of judicial restraint - the notion that judges should stick to interpreting the law and not making it. Her resume includes a number of firsts, among them: first woman to serve as chief assistant U.S. attorney in Detroit, first woman to serve as chief judge of the Michigan Court of Appeals.

MAUREEN MAHONEY, 50: Often described as the female version of Chief Justice John Roberts, Mahoney, a lawyer in private practice, clerked for the late Justice William Rehnquist, served as deputy solicitor general under Kenneth Starr and has argued cases before the Supreme Court. Mahoney might upset conservatives with one of her major court wins, the landmark University of Michigan Law School case defending affirmative action.