History is replete with contradictions about Helen of Troy. One reason is that no one seems to have really known her. Sound familiar? Some, like Homer, saw Helen as deceptive. Others vacillated between fascination with the mystery she generated and disdain for her "shameless" actions. One thing we know for sure is that she had an awful lot of powerful men fighting over her. Not too unlike what we're seeing today. And most of them were too angry to adequately assess what was truly going on.
Harriet Miers, like Helen, may yet bring powerful leaders to their knees as ships of offense and defense are launched from what would once have seemed the most unlikely of political ports. Like Helen of Troy, she has generated a maelstrom of antipathy, but remains steadfast in her goal and clearly protected by a dissembling, yet still powerful, cadre of men. Chief among them is the President of the United States, who adamantly refuses to send her sailing back to Texas.
So how did she do it? I'll share a few techniques of political savvy learned over many years of study.* First, rather than a woman of mystery, she is a master of contrived understatement. While others in her field sought visibility for their competence as a means of advancement, Harriet kept her head down, her opinions largely to herself and offended no one. For some jobs -- the Supreme Court being one -- lack of visibility has become an asset. The tall tree catches the wind, and she didn't volunteer for that danger until the stakes were extraordinarily high. She knows one of the primary secrets of getting ahead -- how to make powerful people feel good about having you around. She is no stranger to the use of favor banks – doing for others in ways they’ll remember -- often through the rare gifts of compliment, loyalty, understanding, and advice. She advances the aspirations of others in ways that advance her own. Like Helen, whose charm made her seem the least likely to steal away, Harriet knows that doubt about her competence can be her friend. When expectations are low, exceeding them is that much easier -- something we all might want to keep well in mind when the hearings start.
Miers possesses what might be called the fourteenth form of intelligence – political. No matter how brilliant you are, no matter how hard you work, if you don’t also know how to quietly manage people with power, a talent Helen and Harriet share, a thousand ships won't be seeking you out. Yours isn’t even leaving port. But, while it's looking like disaster and disturbing that politial acumen can get someone so close to the Supreme Court, it could still be surprisingly smoother sailing than we think for Harriet. She's no dummy.
*See It's All Politics: Winning in a World Where Hard Work and Talent Aren't Enough