Trust me. Again.

That’s what President Bush is saying to his most conservative allies and to the country with the nomination of Harriet Miers to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Miers has never been a judge and has little experience as an elected official – she served two years on the Dallas City Council. Most of her work has been as a lawyer, where she has gained considerable experience and a reputation for toughness. All in all, there’s only scattered information on what sort of judicial philosophy and temperament Miers would bring to the Supreme Court. Like new Chief Justice John Roberts, there’s not much of a paper trail for opponents or supporters to draw upon in discerning what kind of judge Miers will be.

Miers, who would replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, is a Bush loyalist. She served as his attorney in Texas before joining his administration. She’s an insider, with a close relationship to the president. While there may not be much of a public record on her views, we are certain that the president knows exactly what she thinks about the biggest issues of the day. Their personal relationship makes him privy to information that the rest of us so far have to guess about. Before being seated, however, the rest of the country deserves to know, too.

While there might be some grumbling on the right that the president did not nominate a well-known conservative to the bench, we have little doubt that he has chosen a nominee with views in line with his own. By picking someone without an extensive public record, the president is playing for a repeat of the Roberts’ nomination. Foes could not gain momentum because Roberts limited his answers during confirmation hearings, the White House refused to release documents about his work and his two years as a judge provided little room for scrutiny.

Miers’ lack of experience as a judge shouldn’t be overplayed. There should be professional diversity on the High Court, and some of the court’s most influential justices had not previously served as a judge.

We know Miers has been a successful lawyer. We know she’s a close adviser to the president. There’s a lot more we don’t know.

During Miers’ confirmation hearings, senators of both political parties should do their duty and thoroughly and aggressively investigate her qualifications and beliefs. They should not confirm an enigma. With a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court at stake, “trust me” isn’t good enough.