But White House officials insist all is "business as usual."

Some analysts and Republicans say the string of setbacks that have beset the nomination is a testament to how unhinged the White House has become amid legal and political problems, including the criminal investigation into the possible roles of two key administration aides — Karl Rove and I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby — in the unmasking of a covert CIA operative.

'You're seeing evidence of a profoundly disorganized and demoralized White House,' said Ross Baker, a political scientist at Rutgers University who has also spent time working on the Senate staff. 'If you are looking for evidence of a rudderless White House, the slipshod manner in which Harriet Miers' papers were prepared is really Exhibit A.'

Other Republicans are mostly withholding public judgment until she testifies at confirmation hearings that are scheduled to begin Nov. 7. But privately, some expressed surprise and unease at how poorly prepared the White House was for the skepticism Miers encountered. And they lamented that Bush had failed to find a nominee who would help unite and energize a party demoralized by troubles in Iraq, high gas prices and criticism of Bush's response to Hurricane Katrina.

The scariest thing about all this is that they DO think this is "business as usual".