Washington ? Some Senate Democrats are jumping in the middle of a Republican fray to defend Harriet Miers from conservative criticism that she isn’t qualified to serve on the Supreme Court.

That doesn’t mean Democrats will vote to approve President Bush’s longtime confidante for the high court or give her an easy time at a Senate confirmation hearing.

Behind the scenes, a half-dozen aides to Senate Democrats – speaking on condition of anonymity to protect their jobs – admit that they are enjoying watching the GOP’s right wing beat up the president. None will say whether their bosses feel the same way – or might be insincere when they heap praise on Miers and call her critics unfair.

“All the trashing is coming from the right wing of the Republican Party,” Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, said in a conference call with reporters. “I really think it’s despicable what they’re doing.”