The White House may have been caught off guard by negative reaction from some conservatives to former Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers, but Paul Chesser believes conservatives should have more closely scrutinized candidate George W. Bush before endorsing him “despite clear warning signs out of Texas about Bush’s conservative credentials.” Writing Tuesday in The American Spectator, Chesser recounted incidents from Bush’s term as governor of Texas and comments from activists and academics that were ignored as the Bush campaign gained momentum. “Perhaps this episode will teach conservatives that next time the vetting process for Supreme Court nominees needs to start extremely early – with serious scrutiny of the presidential candidate who will be appointing them,” Chesser concluded.