Senator Arlen Specter has quietly launched the opening salvo against Eric Holder’s nomination for Attorney General. Though Specter has tried to be discreet, Senate sources have handed me a copy of Specter’s latest letter to Holder that went out yesterday.
The letter shows that “committee staff reviewed [Holder's] questionnaire responses and noted a number of apparent omissions.” Specter is “respectfully ask[ing]” Holder to either supplement his submission or provide explanations for “why [he] believe[s] [his] submission is fully responsive.”
Specter, being Specter, lists eight major defects in Holder’s response. He even gets into the Blagojevich scandal. Specter points out that Holder failed to list op-eds Holder had written in favor of affirmation action and gun ownership restrictions.
He needles Holder for failing to mention a speech he’d given to the left-wing American Constitution Society in which Holder called for a “liberal renaissance.”
The list of 8 omissions is, in themselves, pretty damning. And they don’t even get into Elian Gonzales.
Eric Holder’s nomination is not just about the Rich pardon, which is troubling on its own. There is a whole thread here weaving in and out of his work and bio — a pattern of setting aside judgment and legal analysis in favor of political expediency and, in short, being a partisan yes-man — the very thing the left accused Alberto Gonzales of being.
If the GOP wants a scalp, Holder’s is the one to get. And Specter seems intent on doing so. You can read his letter here.
???
joaquin Thursday, December 18th at 3:23PM EST (link)Arlen Specter? This has to be a mistake. That guy takes the lead on NOTHING. Nothing Republican, that is.
My first reaction too.
Erick Erickson Thursday, December 18th at 3:24PM EST (link)n/t
Who will stand on either hand and keep this bridge with me?
I suspect Arlen will looks for ways to make Leahy suffer
bk Thursday, December 18th at 3:29PM EST (link)It would be nice to see some of the same Arlen who absolutely destroyed Anita Hill. And you know Specter is pissed about how the GOP side and Bush nominees were treated by Leahy and those other jerks on the Judiciary Committee, so he’ll try to get Leahy tied up in knots occasionally - I have no doubt of that.
Snarlin' Arlen is up for reelection in 2010.
Mark Kilmer Thursday, December 18th at 3:30PM EST (link)He will face opposition in the Republican primary, possibly from Pat Toomey.
These things motivate Specter’s thoughts.
Run Pat Run!
E Pluribus Unum Thursday, December 18th at 3:32PM EST (link)I will send money to a Pat Toomey campaign, just as I did in 2004. It’s nice that Specter will occasionally be a pain in the rear to the other side. But it does not atone for his Lifetime Achievement Award in the category of ‘Submarining the Republican Party’.
Carthago delenda est
Do your conservative t-shirt shopping at EPU Gear. Save the conservative muse, save the world.
As long as he is motivated in the right direction I will take it....
Attack Mode Thursday, December 18th at 3:35PM EST (link)now that’s not to say that this will earn him re-election in 2010, just that when moderates are with us on an issue they deserve praise, when they aren’t, derision.
“Land of the Free and Home of da Whopper” Peter Griffin…Family Guy
conform and celebrate diversity….or else!!!
Steel-Belted Radial Right Winger
“I’ll create 5 million jobs from out of unicorn farts and pixie dust” Justatron paraphrasing Obamessiah…yes I love it that much.
And I, for one, won't vote for Specter
Uma Richie Thursday, December 18th at 3:36PM EST (link)in another contested primary ever.
Darn, I am STILL bitter.
……………………………………………………………………………..
“We hold our heads high, despite the price we have paid, because freedom is priceless.” -Lech Walesa
Let's save our PA 2010 discussion
Erick Erickson Thursday, December 18th at 3:37PM EST (link)For a different thread. In this one, Specter is kicking butt.
Who will stand on either hand and keep this bridge with me?
You're right, EE. Thanks. (nt)
Uma Richie Thursday, December 18th at 3:39PM EST (link)nt
……………………………………………………………………………..
“We hold our heads high, despite the price we have paid, because freedom is priceless.” -Lech Walesa
Consider it tabled
E Pluribus Unum Thursday, December 18th at 3:52PM EST (link)But close by for easy access.
Carthago delenda est
Do your conservative t-shirt shopping at EPU Gear. Save the conservative muse, save the world.
The "on notice" list.
Diogenes314 Thursday, December 18th at 4:02PM EST (link)…is where I’d prefer to keep Arlen. If it keeps him acting like an actual Republican and looking out for the nation’s welfare to save his political future, excellent. If not, drop the hammer.
But this is a good sign. Another problem with Holder is his obsession with profiling and how it could effect the illegal immigration issue.
Message brought to you by Diogenes
The Last American Liberal.
Let’s all compromise-everyone should just agree with me.
Friends Don’t Let Friends Vote Democrat.
This one's sooooo easy to predict
bk Thursday, December 18th at 3:26PM EST (link)“The racist GOP is trying to prevent this highly qualified man from being the first African-American Attorney General of the United States.”
Any takers on how long before we hear that?
I will go visit my least favorite left winged blog
MelZ Thursday, December 18th at 3:29PM EST (link)and will most likely see exactly what you are saying. Sooo, I guess my take is now?
MelZ
Quite frankly, I don't care anymore
scottbomb Thursday, December 18th at 3:57PM EST (link)Running for the hills every time some plays the race card is getting old. If I’m not mistaken, that’s the same reason why nothing was done about the Freddie/Fannie robbery years ago when the Republicans were in charge.
http://www.HowObamaGotElected.com
“The American people will never knowingly adopt socialism. But, under the name of ‘liberalism’, they will adopt every fragment of the socialist program, until one day America will be a socialist nation, without knowing how it happened.” - Norman Thomas, U.S. Socialist Party presidential candidate 1940, 1944 and 1948
Arlen, Arlen, he's our man...
Socrates Thursday, December 18th at 3:37PM EST (link)Oh, wait. Don’t we hate him for being a RINO? I forget what we’re all supposed to think.
Arlen’s about Arlen. Let’s just hope that for the next 2 years he decides being on our side is in his interest.
–
Gone 2500 years, still not PC.
Carrot and stick, people. Carrot and stick.
Moe Lane Thursday, December 18th at 3:48PM EST (link)Think of it as operant conditioning, if that helps.
Check out my new blog at http://moelane.com/.
http://twitter.com/moelane
My (blogging-related) wish list.
Huh?
Kudzu Thursday, December 18th at 3:51PM EST (link)Arlen? “Our” Arlen? This can’t be… I think Erick has gone illusionary because of the baby
It always did take two of you to take down one of me. - Jo Bob Priddy, North Dallas Forty.
Now on at http://kudzu630.wordpress.com/
illusionary???...Is Erick now magical??...;^)
Attack Mode Thursday, December 18th at 3:52PM EST (link)Sorry couldn’t resist.
“Land of the Free and Home of da Whopper” Peter Griffin…Family Guy
conform and celebrate diversity….or else!!!
Steel-Belted Radial Right Winger
“I’ll create 5 million jobs from out of unicorn farts and pixie dust” Justatron paraphrasing Obamessiah…yes I love it that much.
Abracadabra
Erick Erickson Thursday, December 18th at 3:59PM EST (link)Poof.
Who will stand on either hand and keep this bridge with me?
Exactly
Kudzu Thursday, December 18th at 10:29PM EST (link)By magically pulling a story about Arlen Spectator having any set of manhood left after the judge fight
It always did take two of you to take down one of me. - Jo Bob Priddy, North Dallas Forty.
Now on at http://kudzu630.wordpress.com/
One step at a time
E Pluribus Unum Thursday, December 18th at 4:04PM EST (link)First, you learn to change diapers, nose hairs curling at the reek.
Second, you learn to change diapers, and it doesn’t bother you like it used to.
Next think you know, you are mainlining baby formula .
Carthago delenda est
Do your conservative t-shirt shopping at EPU Gear. Save the conservative muse, save the world.
Omigosh
Wayne Thursday, December 18th at 5:57PM EST (link)EPU, I never got past “second, the dry heaves” followed by a healthy swallow of Canadian Mist to wash the smell and thought away.
“Hell, these are Marines. Men like them held Guadalcanal, and took Iwo Jima, Baghdad ain’t s–t”. Maj. Gen. John F. Kelly, USMC, Deputy CG, First MEF
Don't forget not cringing at...
Mark Malcolm Thursday, December 18th at 9:59PM EST (link)any bodily fluid from your child ever again because most of them have ended up on you, in your food, or all over skin.
have you had to change your work clothes yet because you wanted to hold the baby, ‘just one more time’ before leaving in the morning?
I may not agree with what you say but I’ll defend your right to say it to the very death.
Go Go Gadget Arlen
Finrod Thursday, December 18th at 4:22PM EST (link)If only we could light the same fire under the other Senate RINOs that we’ve lit under Arlen. Arlen Specter is now a more reliable voice for the GOP than John McCain is.
—
Finrod’s First Law of Bandwidth:
A picture may be worth a thousand words, but it takes the bandwidth of ten thousand.
Finrod, I've got a dead white cat that's got a more reliable
janis Thursday, December 18th at 4:41PM EST (link)voice for the GOP than McCain is. (That dead white cat really comes in handy. It’s a very versatile moribund animal.)
John McCain busy
RetNAV Thursday, December 18th at 7:23PM EST (link)working on Gang of 11 (with Lindsey Graham) to shepherd Obama Cabinet nominees through Senate with minimum delay, in an attempt to show bipartisan support for new President.
I never want to hear again of bipartisanship. The only time I want a Republican “reaching across the aisle” is to smack a liberal.
Which just goes to show....
JadedByPolitics Thursday, December 18th at 4:32PM EST (link)Do not pay any attention to what your Senator does in his last 2-3 years pay attention to what he does in the first 3-4 because that is his true character!
These sleazes will always come back to their base on votes and action in the last 2-3 years…if he ain’t conservative 6 full years he ain’t your kind of Senator!
Whoever has his enemy at his mercy &
does not destroy him is his own enemy
This has been our problem all along...
Mark Malcolm Thursday, December 18th at 10:02PM EST (link)and we fall for it like an abused house wife. They vote moderate for the first few years, then realize, ‘oh, yeah, I need those guys to vote me back in here’ and we once again get treated like we are allowed to sit at the grown up table……until he gets reelected again and then we need to be shoved in a back room and taken care of, a la the bailout bill et al. Damn, I needed some punctuation in that sentence….
I may not agree with what you say but I’ll defend your right to say it to the very death.
You Guys Have Specter Wrong (Sort Of)
IJB Thursday, December 18th at 7:53PM EST (link)Spccter’s another one of those guys that’s better, and more effective, when he’s in the Minority, at least on the Judiciary Committee.
When he’s in the Majority, his “bipartisan” tendencies tend to come out, and that’s where things tend to go wrong.
But when he’s in the Minority, Specter has almost no incentive to “play nice”, and this is when he’s at his best.
I expect Specter to continue to cut Leahy & co. to ribbons as long as the Dems are running the show.
Should be fun!
Holder's nomination hearing will abe a target-rich setting
1SGinTN Thursday, December 18th at 10:41PM EST (link)for blasting a lot of lefty past performance. I hope “Borked” comes to be replaced by “Holdered”.
Tu Ne Cede Malis
-Virgil
It "should" be.
mbecker908 Thursday, December 18th at 11:00PM EST (link)Specter will probably go after him. Not so sure about the other so-called Republicans on the Judiciary.
It’ll be interesting to see what McCain has to say about him (I know he’s not on Judiciary).
I could look it up
1SGinTN Thursday, December 18th at 11:18PM EST (link)But you probably know the answer. Who are the R’s on the Judiciary Committee?
Tu Ne Cede Malis
-Virgil
The Senate Judiciary...
mbecker908 Friday, December 19th at 9:27PM EST (link)The Democrats are:
Patrick J. Leahy, Chairman, D-Vermont
Edward M. Kennedy, D-Massachusetts
Joseph R. Biden, Jr., D-Delaware
Herb Kohl, D-Wisconsin
Dianne Feinstein, D-California
Russell D. Feingold, D-Wisconsin
Charles E. Schumer, D-New York
Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois
Benjamin L. Cardin, D-Maryland
Sheldon Whitehouse, D-Rhode Island
To a person I think the Democrats on the Judiciary can best be summed up as follows:
The Republicans are…
Arlen Specter, Ranking Member, R-Pennsylvania
In general, can’t be counted on to fight across the board against judicial nominees, but can probably be counted on to make BO’s AG designate’s life miserable.
Orrin Hatch, R-Utah
See Specter. Hatch has been in the Senate too long and counts the Dems as “his friends”.
Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa
The only thing Grassley fights for is farm pork.
Jon Kyl, R-Arizona
Arizona’s only Senator can be counted on to fight for conservative values. I don’t know that he’s up to parliamentary maneuvering that will likely be required over the next four/eight years.
Jeff Sessions, R-Alabama
Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina
A shameful piece of crap.
John Cornyn, R-Texas
See Kyl.
Sam Brownback, R-Kansas
Who on God’s earth can figure out Sam. Leon is in a better position to comment with some authority on Sam. Personally, I don’t trust the guy as far as I could throw him.
Tom Coburn, R-Oklahoma
A 10. And probably IS up to the maneuvering.