(...) But a conservative political consultant with ties to the White House said that he had received such a query from Sara Taylor, director of the Office of White House Political Affairs.

(...) A second Republican, who is the leader of a conservative interest group and has ties to the White House, confirmed that the White House is making calls to a select group of conservative activists who are not employed by the government.

(...) The political people in the White House are very worried about how she will do in the hearings," the second conservative leader said. "I think they have finally awakened."

Note that the anonymous sources are a conservative political consultant and leader of a special interest group, both with "ties to the White House". Whatever this means, the White House staff, including Taylor, have flatly denied every aspect of the story.

"Absolutely false," Miss Taylor said. "Some of these conspiracy theories have risen to a new level."

Yet, the story quotes "some White House aides" as privately acknowledging astonishment. "Who would have believed the wheels would be coming off this early in the second term, and with our own people firing at us?" one aide confided.

Richard John Neuhaus writes,

I've been saying that Harriet Miers will not withdraw or be withdrawn, and will likely be confirmed, leaving us with no alternative to hoping for the best. Now I'm not so sure she will be confirmed. Facing the likely prospect of defeat in the Senate, she may decide to withdraw. Many conservatives are going over the top in their opposition to the nomination. At this point, Miers' withdrawal seems to be more of a possibility and her confirmation less of a certainty

And then there is this article by Charles Krauthammer (an exit strategy).

Miers has failed to impress virtually anyone she has met with and the relaunch has failed. With few supporters in the Senate, significant apprehension by friends following Miers' sloppy job on the Judiciary Committee's questionnaire, and a general uproar among conservatives, it would be a political disaster for the White House to let Miers get publicly harpooned during the confirmation hearings.

Updates: See Outside the Beltway and Myopic Zeal for more.