Profile: Zell Miller

"Give 'em hell, Zell," the Democrats screamed at their 1992 convention as Georgia Governor Zell Miller threw his weight behind Bill Clinton and delivered a blistering attack on the incumbent President, George Bush Snr.

Miller has consistently voted against Democrats in favour of Bush

Mr Miller, now an outgoing Democratic senator, may enjoy similar rapture when he addresses another presidential convention in New York.

But this time, the cries will not be from enthralled Democrats - but fervent Republicans.

The 72-year-old will be endorsing President George W Bush ahead of November's elections after becoming increasingly estranged from the Democrats - a party he claims to now "barely recognise".

Struggle

The Republicans hope that by fielding Mr Miller, hailed as the most progressive governor in Georgia's history, they will provide evidence of the broad support Mr Bush's compassionate conservatism has won during his term in office.

It was precisely Mr Miller's folksy approach and popular appeal which made him such an obvious choice at the Democratic convention in 1992 to nominate Bill Clinton.

Let's face facts: George Bush just doesn't get it, he doesn't see it, he doesn't feel it, and he's done nothing about it Zell Miller on George Bush Snr 1992

Mr Miller is thought to have picked up a doctrine which emphasises both self-reliance and mutual assistance during a childhood characterised by struggle.

His father died two weeks after Mr Miller was born, and his mother Birdie built a new house for her family out of stones she mined herself from the local quarry. It took years to finish. They raised chickens in one corner of the living room and did not have an indoor toilet until after Mr Miller went to college.

Mr Miller served a long apprenticeship in state government before winning the governorship of Georgia in 1990.

It was a rocky path littered with disappointments, including a failed 1980 bid for US Senate. His frequent shifting on positions in the process earned him the nickname "Zigzag Zell" - a tag the Democrats are currently relishing.

His eight-year-governorship of Georgia is widely seen as the most progressive in the state's history.

This man is so out of touch with the average American it would be comical if it were not so dangerous Zell Miller on John Kerry 2004

His chief legacy was the Hope Scholarship, providing lottery money to fund college tuition for any Georgia student with B grades or better. He also eliminated the state sales tax on food - hailed as easing the burden on the poor - and tried, albeit unsuccessfully, to remove the Confederate stars and bars from the state flag.

After completing his second term as governor, he briefly retired, but then was told a Senate position was his for the taking in 2000.

He jumped at the chance, and soon began to vote against his fellow Democrats on a number of issues.

'Old house'

Mr Miller was one of the earliest supporters of President Bush's tax cuts, helped install the controversial John Ashcroft as attorney general, and recently turned against legal abortion.

He was the only Senate Democrat to support Mr Bush's plan to reduce union protection for workers in the newly created Department of Homeland Security, accusing his Democrat colleagues of putting other interests before security.

His anger with his party came to a head in 2003, when he published A National Party No More, a book accusing the Democrats of moving too far to the left, selling out to special interest groups and ignoring the South.

He has savaged John Kerry as a man "so out of touch with the average American it would be comical were it no so dangerous", while describing Mr Bush as "a strong commander-in-chief who is guided by the right principles".

Senior Democrats have offered a variety of theories as to why Mr Miller has turned against his party; some suggest he never adjusted from being an important governor to one in 100 senators, others suggest that what is seen as progressive in Georgia may not be viewed as such in Washington.

Such notions are rejected outright by the senator, who declares the party is simply shying away from the truth about its changing nature. He also scoffs at the suggestion that he should change parties.

"I compare it to being in an old house. It's a house that I've lived in for years that's getting kind of drafty and hard to heat. The plumbing won't work and some strangers have moved into the basement and I don't know who they are, and there's no doubt I would be more comfortable in another house," he said in an interview with the New York Times.

"But you see, I was here first. I've lived in this house for years and years. It's home, and I'm not going to leave."