What Specter’s thinking: “It’s really getting embarassing to be a Republican.”
Wow! Who could have imagined this! You’d almost think the White House was trying to hide something!
Specter asks Cheney to cease interference
Senate Judiciary Chairman Arlen Specter wants Vice President Dick Cheney to stop trying to influence his committee’s review of the White House’s warrantless surveillance program.
“It is neither pleasant nor easy to raise these issues with the administration of my own party, but I do so because of their importance,” the Pennsylvania Republican wrote Cheney in a three-page letter yesterday.
Specter complained that Cheney was lobbying other GOP Judiciary Committee members to oppose efforts to subpoena telephone company executives. Specter wants to find out what they did to aid the National Security Agency’s surveillance work.
Specter said he was surprised that Cheney “sought to influence, really determine,” the committee’s actions.
“This was especially perplexing since we both attended the Republican senators caucus lunch yesterday,” Specter wrote, “and I walked directly in front of you on at least two occasions en route from the buffet to my table.”
Specter is the most vocal Republican to oppose the White House’s directive that allows the NSA to monitor the calls and e-mail of Americans without court approval. Bush administration officials have said the program requires that one party to the communication must be overseas, and terrorism must be suspected.
Specter wants legislation to compel a secretive federal court to examine the constitutionality of the program, and he has expressed displeasure that the White House won’t give him any feedback on his bill.
Lea Anne McBride, spokeswoman for Cheney, said the vice president has not studied Specter’s letter.
Cheney is merely trying to save the taxpayers money by shortening the investigation. Having these telco executives testify can only cloud the issues. By carefully and quickly guiding the Senator’s committee to find Cheney’s prepackaged version of the truth, the money saved can be patriotically redirected to further fund the war on terror. How is that not a win-win?
Yeah, but Specter shouldn’t be surprised by this, considering this administrations past similar actions.
Specter’s a classic example of Republican In Name Only, though. When things get slow and he wants to get his name in the news, he’ll start picking on leaders in his own party. It’s what he does for attention. Plus, his state has turned Democrat, so it helps his next election effort to be seen as a rebel.
Wait…Cheney is trying to talk to other politicians and convince them that he’s right?
OH MY GOD THE HORROR.
Good thing no other politicians ever do that.
Yes, he’s trying to convince them to help in covering up the administration’s activities.
Democrat hacks ! Wait a sec…Wrong blog.
Specter hasn’t been a Republican for many years. This is no surprise. He’s the Chuck Shumer of the Republican party…..never met a camera he didn’t like.
Chaney is evil….but Specter is a publicity whore.
Good old Dick! Scumbag through and through!
With friends like this, who need enemies? He need to remember who got him elected the last time around. Like it or not he rode in on the Prez’s coat tails.
#9, your apparent belief that party loyalty and gratitude for campaign help somehow supercedes loyalty to the country and to the oath of office is certainly the prevailing practice in politics. When I watched the confirmation hearings for Justice Alito, I was amazed at all the Republicans on the panel pitching slow balls with no spin right over the plate. Specter was the only Republican who actually seemed to take his job seriously, raising real issues rather than setting Alito up to hit a home run with his answer. I applaud him for not conducting what passes in Washington for “business as usual.”
Your type of loyalty has contributed to the pickle we’re in, both with the budget and with executive power. Specter seems to be one of very few Republicans who don’t think oversight of the administration should be left to the Democrats, who are powerless without a majority in either house.
so, the country will get sick of republicans, elect democrats, get sick of democrats, elect republicans…. has no one seen the trend?
#11.
Too true.
#10 I don’t have issues with moderate politician frankly I wish there were more in both parties. However, Specter has a rep for being a maverick and sticking his finger in the Party’s eye. I would not suggest any politician vote the party aline 100%, but you gotta pick your fights or no one will ask you to the dance anymore. When that happens he can’t effectively represent his constituents.
“With friends like this, who need enemies? He need to remember who got him elected the last time around. Like it or not he rode in on the Prez’s coat tails. ”
Comment by JHS — 6/8/2006 @ 7:30 pm
Seems to me, he was elected in 1980. so he rode in on Reagan’s coat tails? It would also appear that he managed to get himself re-elected even when Clinton took his turn. I somehow doubt that Bush had much to do with it, Bush Sr. maybe, but not Dubya.
#13, I share your wish for more moderate politicians. Specter is one of the few Republicans I admire, and it’s because he’s willing to stand up to his party on the issues where they are most wrong IMO. I’m guessing he has a much different idea of what conservatism really means than some of the strict party loyalists. I also used to admire McCain until he started dancing with the least moderate wing of his party. Now I’m not so sure.