Perpetual cynics seem to forget that one of the main reasons Justice Thomas has his seat is because of the work of Arlen Specter. Not one of my favorite Senators but I have no doubt he will do good work here for the right thing.
"As Washington braces for the battle over the likely confirmation of John Roberts to the Supreme Court, it is not surprising that the punch line to the running joke in the offices of Judiciary Committee Chair Arlen Specter has been, "What August recess?" What is surprising, though, is that all the extra work is not just about the Roberts confirmation, because Specter, unlike much of Washington, is looking beyond that.
"We've got a ferocious agenda when we finish Roberts," promises Specter, who has already scheduled hearings on the contentious issue of foreign prisoners at Guantanamo Bay and domestic prisoners returning to U.S. communities. "You ain't seen nothin' yet."
He wants to see a stem cell bill come to the floor of the Senate, and in the midst of all this, the Congressional Budget Office last week issued its report on the costs of the huge asbestos liability legislation that Specter has cobbled together and passed out of his committee in mid-June with the hope that it will pass the full Senate this year."
Did you notice USNews (with ample direct quotes from Specter), didn't even mention the Able Danger Hearing? We can hope Specter isn't pulling Weldon's leg about a serious hearing, but frankly "hoping" on Specter isn't something Robert Bork would advise.