This guy is full of it. Specter would have been toast without Bush. Toomey was kicking his ass. The jerk should step aside voluntarily. Let him play golf with his colleagues. But get him out of the way of returning the courts to their constitutional role.
Puh-leaze. What could be more democratic than petitioning lawmakers in the immediate wake of an election and pointing out the value of the mandate?
A putsch is overthrow by threat of violence, and I have trouble accepting Hewitt's pro-life credentials if he refers to us in this ugly, insulting way.
But a chairman has the power to keep an issue from being voted on in the committee, regardless of the majority opinion.
I am totally opposed to Specter and his Scottish Law he used during impeachment on top of everything else. OU President and former Senator David Boren (D-OK) led the fight as much as anyone to confirm Justice Thomas for Pres Bush #41. Since Hewitt decided to go back to the Thomas nomination for justification for Specter, I would much rather have Pres Boren head of Judiciary then Specter and David Boren is a Democrat who no longer is in the Senate.
Hewitt obviously does not share the same opinion of Specter that most of us do including my two Senators from OK.
Wow, I think this is the first time I hhave ever disagreed with Hugh. Spector should not chair that committee.
Specter is the one using "strong arm tactics".
Hugh is a very samrt man. I trust his judgement.
...no "commitments" from liars. Bork Specter.
Stop Arlen Specter - ON-LINE PETITION (From gopusa.com)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1272062/posts
Sorry, Hugh, but now is the perfect time to oust Specter from this position. His clear lack of respect for those who put him in office shows poor judgement. His cockiness towards the President was despicable.
Specter is a RINO. Everyone in Pennsylvania knows this. There are better candidates at this crucial time in our history for this position.
I frankly don't believe in Specter's 'firm commitments,' past or future. Look at Novak's column from April about the Specter contributors. Look at the blue counties Specter calls his political base. Look at the friggin' Scottish Law debacle or the absurd 'Magic Bullet Theory.'
"That was the lesson of the Roman Revolution"
Anyone who has to make a case for Spectre by citing the "Roman Revolution" needs to get a life!
Hugh, please don't be a one-hit wonder...please.
OK. Let's assume that Chief Justice Rehnquist steps down due to his health. Rehnquist has consistently opposed Roe v. Wade.
What happens when Bush nominates a candidate to fill the slot who also opposes Roe v. Wade?
Would nominating that candidate consistute "strong arm tactics"?
Roe v. Wade was the *result* of a putsch--it was never constitutional and it was never the result of popular opinion.
IMO this is not about Bork or the right to life. This is about a vain senator warning a re-elected president to be careful whom he would nominate for Supreme Court Justice.
Bad form. Something the dixie chicks might have done.
you are WAY OFF on this one....hugh....specter is a RAT
There is a petition at www.onemilliondads.org to try to keep Specter from chairing the judiciary committee. AQnything we can do we should do. Who would of thought after the amazing victories of 11/2 for the GOP that one of our own would get power hungry and block President Bush.
This article is spot-on. We lose more nominees in the end if we take the chair away from Specter. The Democrats will have an easy time at obstructionism sans Specter and will have a strong talking point to prop themselves up with ("the Republicans are too extreme to allow even a moderate Republican to chair the comittee, how can we rubber stamp their nominees?"). It's not ideal, that's for sure, but it's the way it is.
I don't disagree that Specter is bad as chairman. But I also don't disagree with Hugh that removing him has the possibility of being much worse. Unintented consequences, backlash. The media would have an absolute field day, and taht can only hurt us in the eyes of the ignorant in the battleground states. Democrats would use "poor Arlen Specter" as a noose around our necks. We have them at the gallows now; no need to give them ammunition.
I'll just hope and pray that Bush and Santorum secured his obedience in return for their support, and that a pass from Chairman Specter will make a nominee seem more moderate and more capable of escaping a filibuster. I won't hold my breath, but I'll hope.