More on Spector - quoting from others
I was just about to leave for the night when I read Robert Novak's piece in the Chicago Sun-Times. I enclose parts of it for you to peruse.Specter blunders on Roe vs. Wade
November 8, 2004
BY ROBERT NOVAK SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST
Sen. Arlen Specter, the canny old fox of Pennsylvania politics, got carried away last Wednesday in the flush of an easy fifth-term victory and revealed too much of what he really thinks. He clearly imposed a litmus test requiring support of the Roe vs. Wade abortion decision for Supreme Court nominees at a time when Chief Justice William Rehnquist is gravely ill. Specter committed a rare political blunder that endangers his lifetime goal of becoming chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
To correct Specter's monumental mistake, his staff put out a news release trying to contradict the senator's undeniable advocacy of a litmus test. Actually, the brief statement repeated his warning of filibusters against President Bush's judges and did not pledge unqualified support for any nominee sent down by the White House. Furthermore, the sincerity of Specter's retreat was undermined when he said he had issued the statement at the urging of the conservative senator from Pennsylvania, Rick Santorum.
Assuming that Specter cannot and will not make a flat commitment of support, the prospect of his imminent chairmanship poses tests for two ambitious Republicans. Will Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, eyeing the White House, marshal his power to block Specter's ascension? Will Senate Republican Conference Chairman Santorum, after alienating his base by backing Specter against serious conservative opposition in this year's Pennsylvania primary, turn against his colleague?
That challenge from Rep. Pat Toomey threatened to end Specter's long political dance in which he has worn the GOP label while wooing left-wing pressure groups. Specter survived because of aggressive support from Bush as well as Santorum. No sooner had Specter been narrowly nominated than he turned leftward, declaring his independence from Bush and refusing to help two GOP congressional challengers in Pennsylvania who had a chance to win but went down to defeat.
His easy victory Tuesday, while Bush was losing the state, apparently was too sweet for Specter, 74, to contain himself. In his post-election press conference, he declared: ''When you talk about judges who would change the right of a woman to choose, overturn Roe vs. Wade, that is unlikely.'' He warned Bush of facing filibusters, apparently without help from Chairman Specter. That was enough to inspire thousands of e-mails and telephone calls protesting Specter as chairman.
The Republican base would have been even more infuriated to read the full press conference transcript confirming Specter's litmus test: ''I have said that bluntly during the course of the campaign and before. When the Philadelphia Inquirer endorsed me, they quoted my statement that Roe vs. Wade was inviolate.'' He suggested that ''nobody can be confirmed'' who does not accept abortion rights.
Novak then gives his take on the sensitive dealings involving Senator Frist and concerning Senator Santorum who will have a tough re-election fight in 2006.
Then there is a piece by Mary Ann Kreitzer, President of Les Femmes. I quote an interesting section.
"Specter, who now points to his support for Clarence Thomas as a recommendation, neglects to mention that he publicly regretted that support and insulted Thomas' stature as a jurist. The senator can run from his record, but he can't hide. When he campaigned for president in 1995 he bragged, "I am the only Republican candidate for president who will stress the pro-choice position." He promised to strip the Republican platform's "anti-choice language." More recently he described the right to abortion as 'inviolate." While Specter calls himself a "moderate," he stands with the most radical pro-abortionists in the country including John Kerry who made "choice" a centerpiece of his campaign. During Specter's race in Pennsylvania, political signs popped up all over Philadelphia heralding "Kerry and Specter for Working Families."
So the plot thickens.
Will Hatch get to stay on to avoid the brewing fight?
Will conservatives be left out in the cold....again?
Will principle finally stand up and be counted?
Stay tuned.
posted by Jakubczyk on Life @ 8:17 PM
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