Posted on 11/12/2004 8:45:35 PM PST by gab1279
Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., has asked Judiciary Chairman Orrin G. Hatch, R-Utah, to convene a closed-door meeting of committee Republicans during the lame-duck session next week as he battles to succeed the term-limited chairman in the new Congress. The prospective meeting is part of a counter-offensive by Specter against an unrelenting campaign by social conservatives who are demanding that Republicans find someone other than the moderate, abortion rights supporter for the chairmanship.
Although Specter is lobbying the nine other Republicans currently on the committee, Senate leaders have not yet set committee ratios for the 109th Congress. It is not clear whether the Judiciary Committee will have any new GOP members in January, when first committee Republicans and then the full Senate GOP Conference will vote on the chairmanship.
None of the 10 Republicans now on the 19-member panel is leaving the Senate. But one or more could conceivably leave the committee. Likeliest candidate: Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.
Specter's sweating it due to the big StopSpecter campaign, serves him right. Now he'll have to get down on his knees and beg for it.
If he takes on John Cornyn's challenge of giving his promise to not block votes on Bush's picks, he'll probably get the seat.
Cornyn's my senator and I applaud him for giving the challenge to big man Spector. Cornyn's only been in the Senate for 2 years!
He's a nice guy, but tough too, he was TX Attorney General when he ran for Senate. I rememeber he reminded of Cheney when he was running. He won't let Specter skate through this.
The problem with him promising not to block any of the President's nominees is that he has a nasty habit of breaking his promises.
He's famed for it. Trusting him would be a big mistake.
Not only that, since he has no plans to run for reelection again, there is not much he can be threatened with if he strays.
I don't applaud Cornyn for selling out on this issue. Give Specter a chairmanship where he can do less harm.
Agreed. Specter has proven himself to be a liar. He changes directions with the wind. If he is not going to follow the party platform...he needs to go.
Why do you want to take a proven liar's word? What good is it? Spectre is going to say what ever he thinks he needs to the get the Chair position.
The GOP Senators can't possibly be stupid enough to slap their constituents in the face by rewarding this traitor.
The conservative Senators have worked closely with Specter for years. If Specter makes quiet guarantees to them, they will know whether he will abide by those agreements.
I'd rather have a conservative chair the committee and I signed the petition against Specter, but I think all the hysterical threads, protests, flooding Senator offices with faxes/calls, elevating this to a public bloody drama, and folks swearing vengeance on Senators before we even see if they will be able to control Specter is counterproductive.
10 bucks says they will.
Damn, I hate how cynical I've become these last few years.
If that's the case, he should realize that what is happening now is a picnic compared to what would happen should he pull such a stunt.
Sometimes there are life's little serendipities that read better than fiction. I am reminded of John Kerry's young machinations to obtain fictious purple hearts and capitalize on the political sentiment that would advance his cause to the detriment of his fellow soldiers.
Now we have ole Arlen...or "Snarling Arlen", getting his dressing down on the very public stage.
Makes me think just being as decent, generous and fair in all things as possible might be better in the long run.
And that, ladies and germs, is Aesop's fable for the day. ;)
I don't think Cornyn did the right thing at all. Specter had already promised to behave. And he broke that promise before a single day had passed.
He has broken promises all through his career, and he won't hesitate to do it again, no doubt with some sort of parsing doubletalk about Scottish law giving him the right to do so.
Get Specter off Judiciary ASAP.
If things were reversed, and the Democrats had to select a Chairman for the Judiciary Committee, there is NO WAY they would let a pro-life Democrat have the Chairmanship, REGARDLESS of seniority.
They are not stupid!
How come the Republican leadership can't be just as smart?
The Republican Party Platform is PRO-LIFE, for goodness sakes.
You're not cynical, you're realistic.
I predict Specter survives this.
Specter's promises are very like Arafat's promises, just another propaganda tool to be discarded when it's convenient.
I don't have any use for Specter myself, but I do think he'll survive this. It is just realistic to think so.
I mean, when the other GOP Judiciary Senators need his vote on something important to them, you think they'll get it if they dissed him for the post he's been waiting for all his political career?
He could retaliate in Congress matters on those who oppose him - If you don't scratch my back, I won't scratch yours.
This highly visible "fight" over Specter's ascension to the chair of the Judiciary Committee is serving the purpose of assuring that the Democrats will have little credibility should they decide to filibuster a nominee who Arlen (the "moderate pro-choicer") voted for. Specter, as Judiciary Committee chair, will serve as the perfect "head-fake" for the Bush Administration.
Plus, if he screws up just once, the Republicans can bounce him out of there in a second.
On the other hand, there is an obvious downside to denying Specter his rightful chairmanship: the Republicans would end up with an embittered Specter who might just mouth off and vote against marginally "too-conservative" nominees, just out of spite. It is far better to let this bogus "fight" play itself out and then give a grateful Specter his chair. Like they've planned all along.
It's a beautiful thing, watching these political geniuses ply their magic.
Good post. I agree 100%.
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