...in an ironic twist, Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter's switch to the Democratic Party this week could give Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee the upper hand in rejecting a nominee they find unacceptable.
That's because the Judiciary Committee, where Specter was the ranking minority member, requires the consent of at least one Republican to end debate and move a nominee to the full Senate for a vote.
"I think, in narrow terms, it could present a procedural problem at the committee level, unless the Democrats are going to change the rules of the committee midstream," William Jacobson, a professor of law at Cornell University, told FOXNews.com.
Meanwhile the author of the magic bullet theory knows how to put the magic foot in his mouth. Specter suggested yesterday that former Congressman Jack Kemp's death might have been caused by Republicans.
"I think Jack Kemp might be alive today," if more money had been dedicated to the fight against cancer, Specter said Sunday on CBS's "Face The Nation."
Specter cited the Republican Party's resistance to spending and his desire to press for more research as one of the reasons he switched to the Democratic camp last week. The senator called himself a "major spear carrier" to increase medical research budgets, before plugging his cancer-cure web site, Specterforthecure.com.
What a piece of work. And Specterforthecure.com? As the Fort Worth Star Telegram points out:
While it appears at first glance to be a fundraising site for a reform movement to help Sen. Arlen Specter fund programs that will seek cures for major diseases, it's actually a fundraising arm for Specter's re-election.
A Specter spokeswoman told The Watchdog: "Specterforthecure.com is explicit throughout — including the name itself — that the site raises money for a candidate.
The same morning the column ran, Specter was on CBS' Face The Nation to talk about his recent defection to the Democrats. Specter took a moment to mention SpecterForTheCure.com. See if you can figure out what the site's purpose is from his remarks:
"And one of the items that I’m working on, Bob, is funding for medical research. I’ve been the spear carrier to increase medical research. And I’ve even established a Web site, Specterforthecure.com, to try to get people to put more pressure on Congress to join me in getting more funding."
A snake peddling snake oil.
