Posted on 06/25/2006 10:53:33 AM PDT by governsleastgovernsbest
by Mark Finkelstein
June 25, 2006
As Brit Hume put it, "Senator Specter, who gets worked up over anything, he doesn't seem bothered by the NY Times disclosure of [the anti-terror banking program]. He's going to 'look into it'."
Indeed. Specter, who began his political career as a prosecutor, played defense lawyer for the Gray Lady. On this morning's Fox News Sunday, host Chris Wallace asked the senior senator from PA "do you think the Times was wrong to publish this story as well as the NSA warrantless wiretap story, and does it rise to the level that they should be prosecuted?"
Specter:
"Well, we have seen the newspapers in this country act as effective watchdogs. You had Jefferson lay out the parameter saying if he had to choose a government without newspapers or newspapers without government, he'd choose newspapers without government . . . I don't think that the newspapers can have a totally free hand. But I think in the first instance, it is their judgment. The editor of the New York Times was quoted as saying that they have considered the government's request not to public and made their decision that it was in the public interest. I'd be prepared to criticize the New York Times if I felt it warranted. After knowing a lot more about the facts, but on the basis of the newspaper article, I think it's premature to call for a prosecution of the New York Times just like i think it's premature to say that the administration is entirely correct."
What precious sensibilities! True, he's not willing to criticize the New York Times yet. But on the other hand . . . he's not willing to say the administration is correct, either! What fairness!
On immigration, the diminutive Specter let his Brobdingnagian ego show. Wallace asked him whether he had been 'snookered' by Ted Kennedy "since the House leaders keep calling what you guys passed in the Senate 'the Kennedy bill."
Specter took umbrage:
"Well, as to whether I got snookered by Senator Kennedy, I think the record's pretty plain. I was on your network when we had the confirmation hearings about Supreme Court Justice Alito and we had a pretty good size clash, and I think it was pretty apparent who came out on top. I wasn't snookered by him at all."
So there!
Interesting post!
This guy is not only unfit to be a Republican, he's unfit to hold public office. Disgusting!
Fox News Sunday/NewsBusters post to Today show list.
Specter simply needs to have his ass kicked. Literally.
Does the word pandering come to mind?
This is vintage Specter. He uncorks some of the worst comments and views I've seen eminate from a Republican. He's head of the Senate Judiciary committee. Our side actually left him in that position the last time it came up for review. Go figure. He's less than worthless to our side.
Specter's entire history is about sucking up to power. He began his political career as an attorney for the Warren Commission. In fact, Arlan invented the "single bullet theory" which "proved" Oswald was the sole assassin of JFK. At the time, 1963-'64, the Warren Commission was coming apart when the contents of the Zapruder film became known.
LBJ and J. Edgar Hoover needed SOME EXPLANATION to link Oswald with the murder, Specter came up with it.
Arlan's also one of the few Republicans who supports a woman's "right to choose". Choose what? Why , choose to murder her baby.
He's sucked up to the liberal establishment so long it's a wonder anyone in the Penna Republican Party can stomach him.
"i think it's premature..."
"We must wait until there is another terrorist attack to purge our traitors."
Exactly what is accomplished by waiting? The facts aren't going to change. The NYT published the story. There is no dispute about that.
As the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Specter knows damn well that there is a federal law that protects true whistleblowers if they bring their concerns to the proper authorities, namely, CONGRESS. There is NO protection for anyone who leaks to the press, nor is there ANY accountability for the press to whom they leak. There is no responsibility on the part of the press to confirm that the information is accurate, or represents the whole story. There is no responsibility for the press to reveal its sources so that the American people can judge the veracity and objectivity of those sources. Apparently that is not "in the public interest!" This is THE most "undemocratic" method of overseeing the Executive Branch that one could possibly imagine! Even if you are skeptical or even suspicious of the Administration, you HAVE to be uncomfortable about making the New York Times the arbiter of "the public interest." What in the world do we need elections for if this is OK???
If Mr. Specter wants to abrogate his authority and responsibility as a Congressional overseer of the Administration to the New York Times, it would be nice if he would just admit that that is in fact what he is doing. I happen to be a constituent of his and have already written him to express my displeasure with his comments today.
Specter.......
Jiminy Cricket was right, and I'm not saying any more about this socialist RINO.
bump
Sphincter is rumored to have cancer. Something is eating his brain.Maybe he has a tumor.
The latest is that the NYT today published a report of a classified briefing at the Pentagon which dealt with the time frame of withdrawing US troops.
There is no question that they are on al-Qaeda's side in this war. And our only counterweapon, short of prosecuting them, is to boycott them. Of course, I've been doing that for years anyway.
What does being snookered by Kennedy on the Immigration Bill have to do with Justice Alito's confirmation hearings??
It's a good thing that Fox is fair and balanced. The put on Republican Peter King to balance Specter.
I absolutely DETEST Specter. He is a useless liberal piece of crap.
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