A Specter of Ingratitude

A few months ago President Bush lent his considerable campaigning support to four-term U.S. Senator Arlen Specter, R-Penn., who was in a tough fight with conservative, pro-life favorite Patrick Toomey. At the time it elicited groans of dismay for Toomey is a much better fit in today's Republican Party, and Sen. Specter has drifted ever more to the left over the years, not to mention that Specter is reliable a pro-choice (abortion) vote in the Senate.

But most kept their tongues silent as the president had his own reasons, we supposed, for supporting the incumbent. We just prayed that it would not come back to bite. Well, November 2 has come and gone, Dubya is re-elected, majorities are strengthened in both houses of Congress. Tom Daschle is gone. Things are looking up. Yet to every silver lining there must be a dark cloud. Specter, who actually campaigned on John Kerry's coattails with Kerry-Specter signs, is now signalling that as the anticipated new head of the Senate Judiciary Committee he will be a watchdog AGAINST pro-life Supreme Court justice nominees!

With the American public strengthening the GOP in the Senate, and the South Dakota voters rebuking Tom Daschle's "scorched earth" filibustering of Bush judicial nominees, the lesson should be clear to the remaining 44 Democrats: filibuster us again and we'll target you too. But here's Specter, licking his chops to hold the SJC gavel, ready to play footsy on more filibustering.

Let's nip this in the bud right now. It's a relatively simple thing. Call or email your nearest Republican U.S. senator and, in your own words please (we're the intellectuals of the political class, after all), let him (or her) know how you feel about Sen. Specter as prospective chairman. In other words, "No!" The decision will be made in a week, so there is no time to be wasted.

The Senate switchboard number is 202-224-3121. You should be able to leave a message.

The Senate website is http://www.senate.gov/ . Click your state and look for your senator(s) and hit the email button.

If we work as a team, we can make this happen.