Here’s the Today Show transcript, courtesy of the White House:

LAUER: “A lot of criticism coming for your nominee to the Supreme Court, Harriet Miers, from conservatives, people like Trent Lott and Pat Buchanan and George Will and Bill Kristol. Were you taken off guard a little bit, caught by surprise by the amount of criticism you’re getting for Judge Miers?”
PRESIDENT BUSH: “Well, you know, I made a decision to put somebody on the court who hadn’t been a part of what they call the judicial monastery. In other words, I listened, by the way, to people in the Senate who suggested, Why don’t you get somebody from the outside? And I figured that people were going to, kind of, question whether or not it made sense to bring somebody from outside the court. I would remind those, one, that Harriet is an extraordinarily accomplished woman who’s done a lot. As a matter of fact, she’s consistently ranked as one of the top 50 women lawyers in the United States. She’s broken the glass ceiling. She’s served as a great example. She is a brilliant person. And that just because she hadn’t served on the bench doesn’t mean that she can’t be a great Supreme Court judge.”
LAUER: “But, you know, conservatives are worried about what’s going to happen when she gets on the bench and they’re worried about what’s going to happen in the future. And I get the feeling – and I’m not sure if this is too strong – I get the feeling some conservatives, President Bush, are feeling let down by you, and they’re thinking they’ve supported you for so long and when an issue that is so important to them comes up, that you let them down. How would you answer that?”
PRESIDENT BUSH: “My answer is Harriet Miers is going to be confirmed and people will get to see why I put her on the bench. She is an extraordinary woman. She is…”
LAUER: “You’ve said she’s the most qualified candidate for the job. Do you agree with that?”
MRS. BUSH: “Absolutely. Absolutely.”
LAUER: “You had pushed for a woman to be a nominee?”
MRS. BUSH: “That’s right. And I know Harriet well. I know how accomplished she is. I know how many times she’s broken the glass ceiling herself. She’s a role model for young women around our country.”
LAUER: “Some are suggesting that…”
MRS. BUSH: “Not only that, she’s very deliberate and thoughtful and will bring dignity to wherever she goes, but certainly to the Supreme Court. She’ll be really excellent.”
LAUER: “Some are suggesting there’s a little possible sexism in the criticism of Judge Miers. How would you feel about that?”
MRS. BUSH: “That’s possible. I think that’s possible. I think she is so accomplished. I think people are not looking at her accomplishments and not realizing that she was the first elected woman to be the head of the Texas Bar Association, for instance, and all of the other things. She was the woman managing partner of a major law firm. She was the first woman hired by a major law firm, her law firm.”
PRESIDENT BUSH: “My attitude, Matt, is when people get to know her they’ll see why I picked her.”
MRS. BUSH: “They will. In the confirmation hearings alone, they’ll see what she’s like.”