Arlen Specter has become a pod person!

[bushmeister0]

During all the hubbub about gay marriage in the Senate today, Arlen Specter was busy capitulating to Dick Cheney on getting to the bottom of NSA spying and data mining. It's all over, no hearings. What the hell happened?

(What's next on the agenda...oh right, flag burning!)

AP reports:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060606/ap_on_go_co/eavesdropping_1

"Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., said Tuesday he will hold off subpoenaing the telecommunications chiefs while he works with the White House on his legislation that would ask a secretive federal court to review the constitutionality of Bush's surveillance operations."

Work with the White House, now there's oversight for you. They've been so forthcoming in the past, I can see why Specter would want to defer to them. Patrick Leahy has a good idea, "Why don't we just recess for the rest of the year? Vice President Cheney will just tell the nation what laws we'll have." (It woud save the rubber trees!)

Specter claims that in a secret meeting with the telecoms cons he had, he was told they wouldn't be able to answer questions because the program is secret. "I cannot make them talk," says Specter. Well, you could give them immunity or threaten them with jail, how about that Arlen? Are you going to give up that easily? My God, there's so much we already know about the program from the press --- not Congress ---that would be a good place to start.

But rest assured, Specter says he's going to have AG Alberto "waterboard" Gonzales in for another session, and this time he's really going to press him (you betcha'). "I yield to no man or woman on pressing this administration on these issues," Specter says.

Tough talk from the man with the big rubber stamp, why don't I believe him? This is the only person in Congress who has actually threatened to expose this administration, a man from their own party, and he's totally caved. You should be ashamed of yourself Senator Specter. Future generations will blame you and your colleagues for your historic cowardess.

[BR_Parkway]

1. Oh please, he talks or writes tough and then the Viagra wears

off and he's back to administration bootlicker.

You want to be a Senator Specter? Act like one. Issue subpeonas, quit letting them weasel out. They show up, they answer the questions or you have them locked up for Contempt of Congress until they do. And since you're a co-equal branch, I see no Constitutional reason why you couldn't order Gonzales be held in GITMO until he answers the questions. There's something fitting about that.

[Stinky The Clown]

2. Are you able to tell him apart from Joe Biden?

I'm not always sure I am able to do that.

[liam_laddie]

3. Arlen is just a poseur, the worst type of Senator

Or maybe he's trotted out now and then by the Dick-Karl-Grover coaching
staff to toss out a knuckleball which is seen as "tough on Boosh" by non-Reich-wing
folks. Or maybe somebody has film of him and mann coulter, or another blackmail
issue. NSA comes in handy, don'cha know?

[Viva_La_Revolution]

4. Wolfie on CNN is reporting that Spector "Fired off an angry 3page letter

to Cheney about the Telcoms."

waiting for details...

on edit: there's a thread in LBN

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=2325623&mesg_id=2327208

[Eugene]

5. Specter is protesting loudly, but it's mostly talk.

He may bark for while, but he will roll over for the administration.

Cheney Influence on Panel Irks Specter


Wednesday June 7, 2006 11:01 PM

AP Photo WCAP102

By KATHERINE SHRADER

Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - Senate Judiciary Chairman Arlen Specter wants Vice President Dick Cheney
to stop trying to influence his committee's review of the White House's warrantless
surveillance program.

"It is neither pleasant nor easy to raise these issues with the administration of my own party,
but I do so because of their importance," the Pennsylvania Republican wrote Cheney in
a three-page letter Wednesday.

Specter complained that Cheney was lobbying other GOP Judiciary Committee members to oppose
efforts to subpoena phone company executives. Specter wants to find out what they did to aid
the National Security Agency's controversial surveillance work.

<snip>

Full article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-5871299,00.html

Those subpoenas aren't coming any time soon.