Posted on 11/14/2004 5:10:06 PM PST by GeneralHavoc
Senator Bill Frist, the Republican majority leader, said Sunday that he was troubled by Senator Arlen Specter's recent remarks about potential judicial nominees, and that Mr. Specter must convince his fellow Republicans that he deserves to be chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
"Arlen made some statements the day after the election," Dr. Frist, of Tennessee, said on "Fox News Sunday" in an interview with Chris Wallace. "They were disheartening to me; they were disheartening to a lot of people."
Mr. Specter said just after he won re-election that Supreme Court nominees who wanted to undo abortion rights would face tough confirmation fights in the Senate. Those remarks, in keeping with Mr. Specter's support of abortion rights and with his maverick personality, put him at odds with conservative Republicans and annoyed the White House.
Mr. Specter tried Sunday to ease the concerns of his party, saying in an interview with George Stephanopoulos on the ABC News program "This Week" that he had never required "a litmus test" for Supreme Court nominees. "The record is conclusive that I have never done that," he said.
Mr. Specter wants and is in line for the Judiciary post when Senator Orrin G. Hatch of Utah steps down because of Republican rules limiting the terms of chairmen.
Dr. Frist pointedly declined to endorse Mr. Specter for the post on Sunday, saying that the Pennsylvania senator should lobby his Republican colleagues in the Senate's lame-duck session this week. "The case needs to be made to the leadership of the United States Senate," Dr. Frist said, "and also to the existing members of the Judiciary Committee."
Mr. Specter did pick up some support on Sunday. Senator Richard G. Lugar, Republican of Indiana, said he backed Mr. Specter but mainly because of Senate rules. "If Republicans decide they want to change of all them, that's a different situation," Mr. Lugar said in an interview with Wolf Blitzer on CNN. "But they haven't, and therefore Specter ought to be the chairman."
Another Republican, Senator John McCain of Arizona, said on "This Week" that he backed Mr. Specter without reservation. "I believe that Arlen has done a good job," Mr. McCain said. "I think he'll be confirmed."
Kerry won't even return his calls.How sad is that?
McCain was playing to his base - the liberal media
Why dont we just give the chairmanship to Jeffords?
I'm sure he'll give us aussurances that he will support Bush appointees.
Or why dont we just make Spector Majority leader.
I think we should just make Snowe-Chafee-Collins-McCain-Lugar-MacSpecter-RINO Senate Majority Co-chairs and surrender personally.../beingapussy
I think both the briefest, funniest and most on-target thing I saw about McVain was something referring to him as "Senator John McCain (R - Media)."
Dan
...RINO Senate Majority Co-Leaders that is...
I think the next four years will be difficult enough to pick my battles carefully. Specter understands what will be expected of him, imo.
Sunday RINO-RAT Roundup: The Usual Suspects BTTT
Well, they are just wrong.
Hola mis amigo/a...lol
Hey - rule changes will be in order to remove King Arlen (were our wonderful GOP Senate Leadership ill-equiped to mount enough spine combined with testosterone to stop the ascension of King Arlen to SJC Chair) once he was hoisted by the GOP into it? (can't recall)
And, which Conservative Constitutionist is the GOP going to throw into King Arlen's Circus Court to be sacrificed on his "feed them to the lions" altar, suited for RAT Sunday TV for years to come? (rhetorical)
Dear ApesForEvolution,
No, it would require no change of the formal rules, as far as I am aware, to remove Mr. Specter once appointed.
But the last time it was done was, if I recall correctly, in something like 1871.
So it isn't exactly a frequent occurence.
In fact, it is more of an affront to "tradition, custom," etc., etc., then just denying him the seat in the first place.
Well, we'll have to see what sort of commitments the leadership think they can extract from Arlie-boy, and then we'll have to see if he holds to them.
If the leadership does let him take the job.
I'm still not certain they will. Sen. Frist is really publicly humiliating Mr. Specter. If he'd already determined to give him the job, I'm not sure he'd bother.
I still think that Sen. Frist wants to see if this all dies down, or if it continues at a dull roar. I suspect that Sen. Frist may see a physician when he looks in the mirror, but sees a president, too. He doesn't really want to screw this up.
See, it isn't just pro-lifers who don't want Arlen.
Arlen is a liberal all the way around. He's against tax cuts. He's against tort reform. If we Republicans, whether social conservatives, or economic conservatives, or whatever, are for it, he's agin' it.
So, he doesn't really have a lot of friends.
Even the other Senate Republican libs are hardly offering full-throated support for him. I think Snowe or Collins offered a semi-supportive word, but that's about it.
I think Sen. Frist and a lot of the others are just trying to gauge how much or little support he has among the "grassroots," and the major constituencies before deciding what to do with him.
sitetest
Thank you, and as always...(tipping my cap)
Bump
Thanks. ;-)
LOL!
We not fighting Specter - we just don't want to give him the chairmanship.
I've read their blogs & I still don't get why Hewitt and others won't oppose Specter. If you want to uphold tradition, keep Hatch as chair - he has senority.
But I do understand why the liberal media want Specter to be chair, and I understand why the Dems and Teddy Kennedy wants him to be chair.
Besides, no one objected when Kerry declared a pro-abortion litmus test for SC nominees.
I agree. I'd love to be wrong.
This will signal to the Dems open season on pro-life SC nominees.
He's running for president.
The usual suspects support Specter.........McCain and Lugar.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.