No, that is not what he did. But some will certainly see it that way.
The fact is, Specter has been beating the hell out of this drum, and was not going to cooperate with some picks that need his shepherding if we are to get anyone even close to a moderate past the Dem's. We have to retain this putrid piece of crap's support, even though he is not done complaining, whining, pissing and moaning.
Reality bites when you are a lame duck and face a opposition Congress, and there are some things that have to be done.
Like GWB's judicial appointments. he will be required to give away the store on every one of them, and then some. This is the reality the voters, and our goat stinking base has handed the president and left him to deal with alone.
Yes...fortunately it's razor thin and with an appropriately directed act of God, that could turn around too.
abandoning this program, isn't worth a few judicial picks. A SCOTUS conservative - OK, then maybe I would agree. But we all know none of this is going to happen, the Dems in the senate are going to block judicial picks - whether or not the administration swerved on this issue, or not.