Des Moines, Iowa ? Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback said Saturday that he remains skeptical about the nomination of Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court, but he said criticism of her should be kept civil.

“I would always prefer that these things be handled in a very diplomatic, respectful fashion,” Brownback said in an interview with The Associated Press. “I think the tenor does need to be toned down.”

President Bush nominated the White House counsel to the high court vacancy last week, and since that time she has come under fire, largely from the conservative wing of the Republican Party, which is worried she won’t be conservative enough.

While Brownback called for a civil tone in the discussion of the Miers nomination, he said it’s “lamentable” that Bush nominated a candidate with such a thin public record.

“I certainly have a lot of faith in President Bush, but this is a two-part process,” Brownback said. “He nominates and we advise and consent. I believe in the old Reagan philosophy of trust but verify. I’m looking for the verification process, and we have to go on very thin shreds of evidence.”

Brownback and other conservatives had urged Bush to name a candidate for the high court with a clear and convincing record on important social issues like abortion, but he said the president appears determined that nominees avoid dealing with those issues before being confirmed.

“You just look at pieces of evidence and try to extract a position,” Brownback said. “I think that’s lamentable, and that’s why I called for somebody who is clearly known, someone who lets us know what their record is and then we have a debate with the country about that.”

Brownback spoke Saturday to several hundred activists at the annual meeting of Iowans for Tax Relief, a conservative Republican-leaning group. It was his latest trip to Iowa, where he is testing the waters for a possible run for the Republican presidential nomination.

As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Brownback will get heavy attention during the confirmation hearings for Miers.

“I’m skeptical, but I’m willing to listen and I’m willing to learn,” he said. “Let’s see what’s there, rather than people tearing her apart and other things.”

Brownback said most confirmation hearings are for show, with lawmakers making up their minds well in advance. That won’t be the case with Miers, he said.

“I think for this candidate the hearing is really going to matter a great deal,” Brownback said.

Chief Justice John Roberts largely avoided talking about specific issues during his confirmation process, and Miers is likely to do the same.

“She can talk about her view of the Constitution, her view of judicial restraint,” Brownback said.

“I want to see her thinking on constitutional issues, and she may not give us much in the way of answers, but she’s going to have to address how she will think about constitutional issues.”