Free Republic

Gov. Pataki told a group of aides last night that he will not seek re-election next year — and alluded to a possible run for president in 2008 ............. .....the dinner was attended by about 30 people, including Pataki's wife, Libby, along with some of the governor's closest aides and supporters. They included state Conservative Party Chairman Michael Long and Pataki fund-raiser Cathy Blaney. In recent months, Pataki has indicated an interest in testing the water for a potential 2008 presidential run, although state and national GOP leaders give him little chance of succeeding. People who attended the dinner said...

Gov. Pataki made a good personal impression in Iowa this weekend, but Republican leaders say he has a long way to go before he can think about winning the 2008 presidential caucus. The biggest hurdles.....he is still not well-known and ......and must defend his pro-choice, pro-gay rights and pro-gun control record, Iowa Republican county chairs and opinion makers say. "Those three things are no-nos," said Scott County GOP Vice Chairman John Ortega, who, as a member of the state central committee, met with Pataki and was impressed with him. David Yepsen, an influential political columnist for the Des Moines Register,...

The chairman of the Senate panel that will oversee hearings on President Bush's Supreme Court nominee said yesterday that he would like to see someone in the tradition of retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and perhaps someone with experience in politics. Sen. Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania Republican, said he didn't want to recommend a specific candidate because of his role as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. But he said he would like to see a nominee who has experience outside the judiciary, which would rule out many of the candidates that Mr. Bush is said to be considering. The candidates...

...HUME:Question to you, sir: Should this next nominee be required to answer questions in the areas where Ruth Bader Ginsburg (search) did not? SPECTER: Without getting into the details as to what Justice Ginsburg answered, I think it inappropriate for a nominee to give an answer specifically as to how he or she would decide a specific case. When someone uses a word like "insist," that's a pretty strong word, and no senator has the power to insist that anything happen. A senator can ask any question that the senator wants to ask, but then it's up to the nominee...

WASHINGTON (AP) - Sen. Arlen Specter, suffering from cancer, said Monday he plans to take public his anger over the government's restrictions on funding for studies on human embryonic stem cells. "I think it's time that a little hell was raised about this subject," Specter, R-Pa., said in a telephone interview. That time will arrive Tuesday, Specter said, when he gavels open the Senate's first hearing on his bill to lift President Bush's restrictions on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. It carries the greatest promise among such studies searching for cures to Alzheimer's disease and other ailments. Set...