Harriet and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Questionnaire Response

Oh, Harriet, Harriet, Harriet. I'm afraid you've taken their instructions too literally. When they said to play hard to get, be coy, say as little as possible without appearing to dissemble, they didn't mean this:

One inquiry in the original questionnaire pointedly asked her about reports that in conference calls with conservative supporters the administration and its allies had offered private assurances about her views on abortion and other matters.

The first part of the question asked if she had made any statement to anyone about how she might rule from the bench, and a second part requested information about "all communications by the Bush administration or individuals acting on behalf of the administration to any individuals or interest groups with respect to how you would rule."

Ms. Miers's one-word answer to both was "No."

I mean, you're a lawyer! Can't you turn "No" into a five page disquisition on the nature of binary reductiveness? Or something? What about some hard-nosed bargaining, like, "I'll only tell you if you promise to elect me to the Supreme Court!" I guess the Yes/No format of that Texans United for Life questionnaire must've gotten her all flummoxed.