Bush's news conference, his eighth full session with reporters since his re-election in November 2004 and his first since May, also touched briefly on Iraq, the budget deficit, Hurricane Katrina, the possibility of a bird flu outbreak in the United States and the investigation into whether Bush administration officials leaked the identity of a CIA operative. Bush refused to answer two questions about the leak, saying he would not talk about it until the investigation was complete.

Questions about Miers dominated the news conference, and Bush said he had paid heed to Congress in making his selection. "I actually listen to the senators when they bring forth ideas, and they brought forth some really interesting ideas during the course of our conversations," Bush said.

One of the most interesting ideas, he said, was a recommendation to reach outside "the judicial monastery." Miers, who spent decades in corporate law in Texas, has never been a judge. Bush added that people were "jumping to conclusions" about her.

"I know her," the president said. "I know her heart. I know what she believes."

White House officials said Bush first thought about Miers as a possibility for the job two months ago, shortly after he named John G. Roberts Jr. as his choice for the court's first opening. Miers had been a leader in the search for a nominee, and Bush had kept her in mind for the next vacancy. The president discussed the idea with the White House chief of staff, Andrew H. Card Jr., and Card then directed Miers' deputy, William K. Kelly, to vet her behind her back.

About two weeks ago, a White House official said, Card informed Miers, who had also been a leader in the search to fill the second vacancy, that she was under consideration for the job. Even so, Miers continued to work on the selection process, including calling key senators and asking them for their ideas on a nominee.