Oh,please give us a break. I was as worried as anybody after the post-election statement Specter made. But since then he's been neutered as an opponent of any conservative judges. Every word he utters in hearings will be analyzed to the nth degree for the slightest back-tracking on his pledge to move every nominee to the floor for a vote.
If we're going to be a majority, governing party we can't be terrified of anyone who may hold differing opinions on specific issues as long as they stick to a basic level of fairness towards the president's nominees.
That's the mistake the Rats have made demanding an ideological purity that's ended up chasing the moderate/conservatives like Zell Miller and others from their ranks. If we do the same we'll suffer the same fate.
Oh,please give us a break. I was as worried as anybody after the post-election statement Specter made. But since then he's been neutered as an opponent of any conservative judges. Every word he utters in hearings will be analyzed to the nth degree for the slightest back-tracking on his pledge to move every nominee to the floor for a vote. "
True. This is a 'win by losing' moment, where the cage is rattled enough to serve notice.
The downside is that Specter is untrustworthy and wrong on far more than just judges... we need a solid GOP majority in the committee to get good tort reform legislation, etc.
Specter does not share the ideology. He is a Liberal Democrat.