Concern About Arlen Specter Comes Too Late
By Chuck Baldwin The Covenant News ~ November 9, 2004
Many conservatives are fuming over soon-to-be Senate Judiciary
Committee Chairman Arlen Specter's remarks regarding his
intention to defeat any attempt (if there were to actually be any) to
place pro-life justices on the United States Supreme Court. This is
curious indeed, because it was the hero of the religious right,
President George W. Bush, who was the one who helped Senator
Specter win reelection.
Back in April of this year, the liberal Senator Specter was in the
political fight of his life when he was challenged by a genuine pro-
life conservative by the name of Pat Toomey in Pennsylvania's
Republican primary election. In fact, it seemed all but certain that
Toomey would successfully unseat the far-left Specter. Enter
President Bush.
On the eve of the primary election, President Bush personally
campaigned for Specter and with the weight and influence of the
White House secured Specter's reelection. Yet, everyone,
including President Bush, knew how liberal Arlen Specter was.
Senator Specter is as liberal as just about any Democrat one could
name. He never met a spending bill he didn't support (of course,
neither has G.W. Bush). He supports abortion-on-demand and
federal funding for it. He supports human cloning, quotas, and just
about every other liberal piece of legislation ever introduced.
On the other hand, Pat Toomey was a proven conservative. He was
hailed as a "taxpayer superhero," according to Citizens Against
Government Waste. He was a supply-side tax-cutter, according to
National Review. He was opposed to abortion and human cloning
and sided himself strongly with social conservatives.
However, in spite of Arlen Specter's extreme liberal record and Pat
Toomey's impressive conservative record, President Bush
personally saw to it that Specter held the Pennsylvania Senate seat.
This is doubly curious because President Bush had to know that
Mr. Specter was in line to sit as the next chairman of the Senate
Judiciary Committee. Of course, this is the committee that must
approve the president's nominees for the U.S. Supreme Court.
Surely, Mr. Bush was aware that without Specter's support, he
could not get a pro-life nominee approved by the Senate.
So, where was the religious right when President Bush was helping
Arlen Specter win reelection? Why do they wait until now to howl
against the liberal Senator from Pennsylvania? And why do they
give President Bush a pass for single handedly giving the election
to the radically liberal Specter?
Just about every conservative that I have spoken to who supported
G.W. Bush told me they did so on the belief that Bush would
certainly appoint pro-life justices to the Supreme Court. And with
Chief Justice William Rehnquist and other Supreme Court justices
close to retirement, they anticipate President Bush being able to
stack the bench with pro-life justices. I sure hope they are not
holding their breath.
In the first place, President Bush has always maintained that he has
no pro-life litmus test for any judge he might name to the high
court. If he is a man of his word, that promise alone precludes any
commitment to a pro-life appointee.
In the second place, just about everyone inside the Beltway
assumes that Bush's first appointment to the Court will be his long
time friend from Texas and presidential adviser, Alberto Gonzalez.
As President Reagan wanted to be known for appointing the first
woman to the Supreme Court and thereby gave us the liberal
Sandra Day O'Connor, so, too, G.W. Bush doubtless wants to be
known for appointing the first Hispanic to the Supreme Court by
selecting Gonzalez.
The problem is, Gonzalez is anything but pro-life. On those
occasions when the life issue came up in Texas, Gonzalez sided
with the pro-abortion position. Therefore, a Gonzalez appointment
would only add another pro-abortion justice to the Supreme Court.
In the next place, should a genuine pro-life nominee be sent to the
Senate, Arlen Specter would never allow him or her to be
approved, and President Bush knew that when he campaigned for
Specter. All the concern over Arlen Specter comes too late. That
issue was settled April 27 when Specter won the Republican
primary election.