After hearing Karl Rove on two Sunday shows,
I am all for letting the WH handle Specter.
Progressive=Socialist
Moderate Republican=Socialist
Bingo!!!
Maybe the WH strategy is to stay out of Senate business and rely upon us conservative Bush supporters to block Specter.
The Committee chairman can smooth the way through confirmation or allow an unending string of witnesses to Bork a nominee with spurious unproven charges that are repeated every night on the news for weeks and used by the Democrats to rally support from their extremists party members.
From Hugh Hewitt's blog:
"Dear Hugh,
I am an unrepentant left-winger, and also a reader of your site, so you can take those two facts to imply whatever opinion of my intelligence you choose.
I think your views on the Specter situation are spot-on. In particular, certain of your comments ('Majorities are fleeting and have to be nurtured, not disciplined unless the nurturing fails.'; 'Evangelicals have to give the majority coalition in which they are dominant part the opportunity to deliver political accomplishments over a period of time, and they must accept less than perfection on the part of the coalition') display excellent political insight. As a leftie, I strongly hope no one listens!
I would love nothing more than to see Senator Specter thrown from the train by outraged pro-lifers, for the same reason I would love to see the President spend the next month doing nothing but advancing an evangelical agenda (something that has about a 0% chance of happening, unfortunately). The more the party takes a hard-line position, and the more the Right shows disdain for contrary views from the center, the easier it becomes to attract moderate voters back into the Democratic fold in 2006. Please don't discourage the wise folks over at NRO from continuing their noble mission.
Best,
Steven M____"
Dumping on Specter is going to be portayed, whether true or not, as the religious right being intolerant of dissenting opinions. This will turn moderates off and they would be welcomed into the Dem party.
Let's not give the Dems any ammo to use against us.
They lost the election, remember?
What?! And have him pull a Kennedy on us, like after the Education bill???