A US Senator engaging in self-important grandstanding to get attention and generate headlines?

I never heard of such a thing!

Specter likes to a talk a good game and then vote the opposite way -- remember when the restraint of habeus corpus rights set civil liberties back 800 years? At least (if this vote is any indication) his backstabbing rhetoric may now be aimed at his fellow Republicans.

I do so hate to spoil the celebration, but wasn't Specter the Keystone Klown who stood up against Bush's policies time and again, until it was time to vote---and then fell back into line with his fellow Republikanner beasties?

Specter folds under the pressure of those around him, for good or bad, the guy cannot stick to his own beliefs. He folded under pressure from the Bush administration by moving justice nominees Roberts and Alito through the committee w/out hard questioning and he is folding to Obama on the Holder pick. Don't get me wrong that's fine by me, I think Holder is a qualified appointee, but the larger point is that Specter has no backbone.

He will change his mind by tomorrow after his meanie RW friends get to him. Single Bullet specter really should be a "Harry Reid democrat" because he's got the backbone of jellyfish

Act like a senator again? When was the last time?

Could be that it was just a sop to the base - theater to mollify the rogues in the stalls. A seasoned old specter like Specter strengthening Holder's status by chasing him through some requisite hoops. Too kind?

I'm much less annoyed by Specter when he caves to us rather than when he caves against us.

But yeah, the guy is weird.

Did I tell you all I was legal counsel to the Warren Commission?

Talks like he's got a mouth full of marbles brains like bbs in a tin can.

I'm not surprised that Specter would do this. He spoke passionately against revoking habeas corpus rights and then voted to revoke them.

Spector may also have switched because he no longer has the potential of conservative Republican primary opposition and doesn't have to act as conservatively.

Tu 27 Jan 2009
Over the last 6+ years, it became patently obvious that Arlen Specter will *always* behave this way. Many people relied, for example, on Specter's history of staunch (??) support of women's rights and "right to choose" when supreme court justices came to the judiciary committee. On virtually every issue or official, he would bluster, profess independent toughness and principle for weeks, then cave. Now he's done it in the 'opposite' direction. He never surprises me now.
==Mel Strom

Didn't Specter's potential Right Wing challenger just announce he wasn't running against Specter.

Just coincidence?

Carl nailed it. The difference between now and then is that Club for Growth's Pat Toomey has announced he won't run against Specter in his upcoming primary. That's not to say some other whackjob won't challenge him, but Toomey was a very real threat.

Right about Toomey, and also he probably did not want to be out there all alone and found he couldn't recruit anyone on this. He also must have heard from lots like me who reamed him out for his rank hypocrisy on this.

Unless of course, he was waiting to get something, something we know nothing about in exchange for letting the nomination out of committee. Could he have kept Holder's nomination from going forward? None of Specter's objections hold water so if it was just the grandstanding it makes him look petty.

Like many here I just can't wait till we get a functioning DoJ again...it's been 8yrs and the Bush administration has crapped everywhere. Holder should take on some extra assistants to help him wade through the mess left by the Bush regime. Past time to get it started Specter..but you know that.

Hey...thanks people for mentioning Toomey. Now it makes a lot more sense. I think you're spot on.

Steve, I think you're onto something. I think that Senator Arlen Specter "positive" Republican publicity. Far right conservatives have threatened on numerous occasions to attack Arlen Specter from the right. His incessant yakking over the last seven weeks was aimed at proving to conservatives that he can still fight the good fight.

As you remember, Arlen Specter was the one who talked about standing up to the Bush administration and for the rule of law. But when push came to shove, he voted for every cockamamie idea that the Bush administration put in front of him. He is a tiger without teeth or claws.

Wow... maybe the question I asked Specter when I saw him in synagogue this past weekend had an effect. :)

Then again, maybe not,
-Z

actually, i think obama knew that specter was nothing but hot air, called him on it, and specter lost.

it's going to be an interesting next two years :)

I called Spector's office regarding the delay on Holder in response to a mail I rec'd two days ago from Seigleman. I also suggested to a friend in PA that he call Spector.

Maybe the Siegleman mail resulted in a torrent of mails/calls from people and Spector lost his nerve?

Why not call it an "Obama", after Obama's reversal on the FISA renovation?

Specter is a gas bag, what do you expect?

Often we give people a hard time so they understand the possible ramifications of behavior, but stop short of actual punishment. Not hard to understand.

Why not call it an "Obama", after Obama's reversal on the FISA renovation? -- MatthewRMarler, @21:28

Don't know about you, but, in Poland, they taught us the difference between singular and plural in the first grade Polish. And, also in the first grade but in math, they explained the difference between "one" and "more than one". Specter pulled the same number time and again. And again. And again. That he'd done it from the other side of the fence before makes no difference.

in the first grade but in math, they explained the difference between "one" and "more than one".

And another dishonest post by Marler dies an ignoble death....

Spector cave???

Why, he stood as a Stone Wall, when he played Javert hounding Anita Hill.

Pulling a Specter . . .

Hmm. Would that be an Arlen or a Phil?