With Arlen Specter, It's About His Power and Arrogance

[journalist3072]

I'm glad to see Arlen Specter taking BushCo. to task for trying to impede the Judiciary Committe's investigation into the NSA's data mining of phone records.

But I get the sense that it's not necessarily his purest of motives. The line that stood out for me in his letter to Dick Cheney was this one: "I was surprised, to say the least, that you sought to influence, really determine, the action of the committee without calling me first."

So Specter has a problem just because Cheney didn't give him a call?

Dick Cheney, as a member of the executive branch, should not be trying to control an investigation that is being conducted by the Senate Judiciary Committe, which, of course, is in our legislative branch.

Who cares that Cheney didn't call Specter? The fact is that Cheney should not be running interference on the Judiciary Committee at all, regardless of who he did or did not call.

And you also see the arrogance of the Administration in their response to Specter. Jennifer Mayfield, a spokeswoman for Cheney, said "We do not need any legislation to carry out the terrorist-surveillance program." (Read: We could care less what the Senate Judiciary Committe thinks of our domestic spy program. We're going to do it anyway.)

This is an Administration that has demonstrated it has no respect at all for the fact that we have 3 separate but co-equal branches of government, and that the legislative branch has been given oversight responsibility of the executive branch.

Sen. Patrick Leahy, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, had the comment of the day: "Why don't we just recess for the rest of the year, pass a resolution which a Republican-controlled Congress could easily pass, and just simply say: We'll have no more hearings and Vice President Cheney will just tell the nation what laws we'll have. He'll let us know what laws will be followed and which laws will not be followed."

[rosesaylavee]

1. Not to say that Specter doesn't have a huge

ego problem, but what I read into his response is a struggle to retain power for the committee - not him personally. What Cheney has done, if allowed to stand unchallenged, is set legal precedent for the Veep to do this in the future. And don't think that isn't what Cheney had in mind in addition to getting his way.

When's Fitz going to clip his nails anyway?

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

2. Remeber what happened when Newt wasn't offered a seat on AirForce One? nt

[journalist3072]

3. Sure do. He shut the government down. n/t

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

4. My point exactly. nt.

[bumblebee1]

5. I read the book "Inside Congress" by Ronald Kessler.

Specter's staff refer to him as "Mr Burns" like the CEO on the Simpsons. He's also know to have one hell of a temper.

[Justice Is Comin]

6. That's what I'm waiting for too.

I'm convinced enough that the fuse leading to the big bang is lit, I just don't know exactly where the end of this fuse is yet exactly.