Jan 16 - Specter says he will seek impeachment

[montana500]

....if Bush broke the law on spying.


Can someone explain to me why Specter has the balls to say this, but not Obama?


http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/politics/13636621.htm

"WASHINGTON - A key Republican senator says he's dubious about the White House's need to bypass domestic spying laws and would seek impeachment if the administration broke the law."

[Junkdrawer]

1. Translation: Republicans have worked up a "Domestic Spying is Legal"...

brief which they will sell through a "skeptical" Specter.

[wtmusic]

18. Eh

Specter (say what you will about his positions) has never been a "party-line" kind of guy. True old-school Republican. He will follow words with actions, unlike many of our own.

[Junkdrawer]

21. Anita Hill

'nuff said.

[wtmusic]

25. Read the post

"Say what you will about his positions". The single-bullet theory is nonsense, as is his predetermination that Anita Hill was lying.

If Specter says he is going to do something, he does it.

[Junkdrawer]

28. Specter is independent until it's critical. Then he falls in line...

That's my opinion as a PA resident who has watched Arlen for a loooong time.

But I guess we'll see. Hell, I'll be the first to admit I'm wrong. And I would absolutely LOVE to be wrong.

[insane_cratic_gal]

35. Pa resident here too

Specter doesn't disgust me as much as the other Reps do. I didn't vote for him nor would I.. but I can stomach him over Santorum (asshat) any day.

I think Specter tries to be fair. I've written to him asking him to investigate the Bush Cabal, to save the filibuster.. etc. I don't think he's wonderful, but I think he's better then Sessions, Santorum, Delay, .. all of those assholes make Specter look like a golden child.

He's voted with the Bush Admin 89% of the time. Way I see it that puts him right in Line with Landrieu (D) who voted with him 75% percent of the time and Nelson

I personally voted for Hoeffel

I would say he is truly one the last moderate republicans left in the Senate, if that means anything. I wouldn't place a lot of hope on him though, he rarely sticks to his guns. I've only seen it twice once with Clinton's impeachment trial and His stand on stem cell research.

"Specter gained even more fame when he cited Scottish law in the Clinton impeachment trial. To the dismay of the GOP, he publicly said, "Under Scottish law there are three possible verdicts: guilty, not guilty, and not proven. I intend to vote 'not proven.'"

[wtmusic]

37. He "fell in line" on using Roe v Wade as a litmus test

and true, that was disappointing. But he was not happy about it, and appears to be no great personal friend of Dubya (perhaps needs kissing lessons from McCain and Lieberman).

I hope you PA'ers will email him some encouragement, I doubt if mine would reach him, being a liberal Californian ;) He'll catch heat for this and could use some support.

[drm604]

40. I've sent him encouragement.

I also mentioned Alito and tied him to Bush's goal of greatly expanding executive power.

I'm not crazy about Specter but he's a hell of a lot better than Santorum.

[Nikki Stone 1]

36. BINGO! Junkdrawer.

You are right on target.

It's about ramming some kind of domestic spying agenda through Congress, and innoculating Bushco from real impeachment.

[joeybee12]

2. He's as serious about impeachment, as he is about saving choice...

...he's a lying, worthless piece of crap.

[INdemo]

15. This has Karl Rove written all over it

Of course he is lying. This a ploy,its some kind of Repukpican tactic to make the Senate Repukes look like they are seperated from the most corrupt Pres. in history..Oh but won't the MSM have fun with this
Of Course you're right !!!

[peekaloo]

3. think Warren Commission........

he's the ghost of cover up past.

[mod mom]

11. I agree. Just re-watched JFK last night and didn't realize Spector's

involvement w the Warren Commission. Seems to be tied in to the fascist takeover from the start. What hope I had that he would look into the surveillance crimes quickly dissipated.

[w13rd0]

4. Who is Obamah?

???

[montana500]

5. I haven't heard much from my Senator lately....

So I must have forgotten how to spell his name.

[SharonRB]

6. Barak Obama

[babylonsister]

10. Sharon...

it's Barack Obama.:hide:

[SharonRB]

12. Sorry -- my bad -- thanks for the correction!

[DemonFighterLives]

7. His "If " is a very big if

I would love to believe it, but I will only believe it when I see it. He hasn't denied the Magic Bullet yet.

To be kind to Specter, I do think he saw God when the cancer hit him. Like Sharon in Israel, there is then a potential for good.
You don't even need to believe in God, but the end of this human existence can make some see the light.
He may want to come clean, but the fear of quicker death makes him tread softly.
O8)

[peekaloo]

8. That's an interesting point.

Maybe the specter of Lee Atwater paid him a visit. :o

[mom cat]

23. It depends on what your definition of "if" is.

[mikehiggins]

9. Something many here on DU seem to forget, or overlook

Politicians want to survive. If Spector smells blood in the water he'll react just like any other shark.

[marmar]

13. I also see lots of "ifs" attached to that statement...

Ifs that will allow him to quickly back off of it. The Republican Party is very much like the mob - Specter knows that if he crosses the Gangland fathers his life will become real unpleasant.

:scared: :scared: :scared:

[Paintedlady]

14. At least it's making headlines

The Swedish newspaper Expressen has this headline;

PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH THREATENED BY IMPEACHMENT
http://www.expressen.se/index.jsp?a=506143

I bet there's many others writing similar stories around Europe.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

16. Because in the U.S. to run for office you need to have lots of $

Until such time as that is not the case, Republicans will get lots of easy corporate money to run for office, and if libs don't kowtow, they will get nothing. Libs right now are having to BEG the Republican majority for any few concessions they're willing to make.

Unless the way elections are run in this country is changed soon, to require NO money from the candidate, soon we will only have fascists running the country and no one else.

[INdemo]

17. And that time is not very far off !!

[montana500]

19. disagree

It's "blood in the water" time for congressional Republicans. With Delay's numbers down, and their numbers down as a whole, they are out to save their own hide. And if that means looking like "honest abiders of the law" they will do what they can to retain their individual seats.

[wtmusic]

20. My favorite part:

"After impeachment, you could have a criminal prosecution."

Music to my ears.

[ananda]

22. Specter could say this because..

.. he knows there's a snowball's chance in hell of an impeachment ever happening.

He's playing both sides of the fence and it's all just empty rhetoric.

He's a Reep underneath that schmoozy skin.

Sue

[eyesroll]

24. Specter doesn't get to impeach, so none of this matters.

The House impeaches. The Senate hears the trial and votes to convict or acquit.

Specter can blow a lot of hot air if he wants, but he doesn't need to do jack about it because he knows damn well the House won't do anything.

As for Obama -- new Senators generally don't overstep their Constitutional responsibilities.

[wtmusic]

27. He said he would "seek impeachment"

Just the fact that he's: 1) a Republican 2) he's been in the Senate 26 years

clears a major hurdle for Republicans to cross the line.

[bunny planet]

29. I wouldn't be surprised if a majority of the House Republicans are tainted

with the Abramoff and Cunningham scandals. If that happens, maybe the remaining House members will bring articles of Chimpeachment.

I need to hang on to the possibility if only to maintain my sanity.
NGU

[ginnyinWI]

26. does that mean impeachment and removal, or just a slap on the wrists? n/t

[EVDebs]

30. Rex 84, Operation GardenPlot, CableSplicer, detention camps

may all have come under Alito's review during the Reagan years ... but no one dares bring this up. They wanted to lock up all the liberals (over HALF the country). They're nuttier than fruitcakes and want to 'suspend the Constitution'.

Funny thing is Specter is preempting discussion of this on Alito and putting things off until next month on the wiretaps issue. Delay the blowback and hope the issue dies on its own ? Tactical errors ? Who knows. Just another 'magic bullet' for Arlen to put into the administration's breech.

[f-bush]

31. Yeah Right

This the same guy who was counsel for the Warren Commission?

[Paradise]

32. this specter statement is about as legitimate as

harriet miers was a "serious" * nominee. :sarcasm:

they have a plan; they always have a plan...

[enough]

33. The Mercury News article is very misleading.

They are putting words in Specter's mouth.

He did not say he would seek impeachment or pursue it. As posters above have noted, it is not his role as a Senator do do that anyway.

He made the perfectly meaningless statement that IF the President broke the law, impeachment would be a remedy.

Specter will NOT do anything to cross the leaders of his party. As a LONG-time Pennsylvanian, I do not understand where people get the idea that he is independent or reasonable. He likes to pretend to be independent, and this pretense makes him very useful to the leadership he consistently serves.

Do not place any hope in Arlen Specter.

[Strawman]

34. let me put on my tinfoil for a sec...

Here's a thought...maybe Rove is looking for a way to make lemonade here. No way would Cheney be elevated to the Presidency if * is impeached. Denny Hastert, does anyone see that? He could elevate his boy the Cat Killer who could run as an incumbent in 2008. The Cat Killer has his own ethical baggage, but he's one of Rove's boys.

I think the chances for impeachment and removal are slim to none regardless of the fact that it is warranted. But if they're greater than I think, I could imagine a scheme to elevate Frist.

[Zomby Woof]

38. Obama is a joke

Great orator in style, lousy Democrat in substance.

[dusmcj]

39. strawman to knock down ?

thankfully, Specter and the Judiciary committee do not constitute the whole of the Legislative branch, any more than the Republicans determine our fate or the character of the Republic, wish as hard as they do that they did.