The Instapundit touches on why Arlen Specter may be a little ‘uncooperative’ regarding judicial nominees, and points to stem cell research as one cause:
Specter’s voice was rough from chemotherapy treatments. He said he is angry that stem-cell research is still being delayed by lack of funding.
“I’ve been waiting too long already,” Specter said.
Specter has introduced a bill that would overthrow President Bush’s executive order, which limits federal funding to a small number of human embryonic stem-cell lines. Specter’s bill would open up funding to unused embryos donated by couples after in vitro fertilization. The House has already passed the bill, and the Senate was expected to do the same.
But the president has promised to veto it.
Not to mention that certain members within the social con movement took it upon themselves to personally savage Arlen Specter, calling him a member of the ‘culture of death’:
Senator Specter apparently wants a place on your wall. Here’s why he shouldn’t get the chance.
Pick your poster child: Arlen Specter, bald from chemotherapy treatments for Hodgkin’s disease, saying that he is Exhibit A for embryonic stem-cell research … or those cute little kids in the AP photo with this caption: “President Bush appeared at the White House with babies and toddlers born of test-tube embryos, some wearing shirts that read ‘former embryo.'”“I look in the mirror every day,” says Specter, “barely recognize myself. And not to have the availability of the best of medical care is simply atrocious.”
Meanwhile, President Bush was busy praising a Christian agency that helps couples adopt frozen embryos. Amidst 21 babies and toddlers who began their lives as frozen embryos left over after fertility treatments, the president said, “there is no such thing as a spare embryo.”
So, again, pick your poster child. The man with a disease who thinks there is vast medical potential in destroying babies described as embryos, or the children who developed from their embryonic state to roll around on White House carpet.
That might have angered him a touch. Add to it the sheer hell the hard right put Specter through simply to get the position he had wanted as Chairmen of the Judiciary committee:
One focus when the Senate reconvenes on Tuesday will be the efforts of Specter, R-Pa., to convince his fellow Republicans that he deserves to be the next Judiciary Committee chairman. Opposition has arisen to the moderate Republican, who supports abortion rights, as a result of his postelection statements that nominees with anti-abortion views would have a tough time winning Senate confirmation.
He has since stressed that he would be a team player if he succeeds the current chairman, Sen. Orrin Hatch (search), R-Utah, who must step down because of GOP-imposed term limits…
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., said Specter must still make his case to Republican senators.
A chairman, Frist said on “FOX News Sunday,” is responsible to “the feelings, the beliefs, the values, the procedures that are held by the majority of that committee,” which overwhelmingly opposes abortion.
Frist added that he would expect the committee’s head “to have a strong predisposition” to supporting the president’s nominee in committee and the full Senate.
A litmus test to install a chairman who will allow litmus tests, if you will, again with cheerleaders within a certain wing of the Republican party. I can’t imagine why he would engage in a little foot dragging or be a little bitter. Not at all.