Specter's sceptre

Recall, if you will, the last time Sen. Arlen Specter (R - PA) lost his penis. In the immediate aftermath of the Presidential election, Sen. Specter - who will acceed to the chairmanship of the Senate Judiciary committee unless something unfortunate happens to his leadership prospects before January - declared that he would not be supporting any anti-abortion nominees put forward by the President. Despite the fact that this position was consistent with the views of those Pennsylvania constituents who voted him into office, and to whom he is chiefly accountable within our "representative" system of government, he was later persuaded to change his mind and now rejects any such "litmus test" for judicial nominees. In other words, he lost his manhood.

Remarkably, comes the NYT today with evidence that the entire episode made very little impression on the Senator. Just two days ago, President Bush announced his intention to re-nominate 12 judges, originally nominated during his first term, who were blocked from confirmation by Senate Democrats. This amounts to a declaration of war, since the only way it is even interesting to re-nominate these candidates is if the President, Sen. Majority Leader Bill Frist, and the Senate Republicans intend to repeal filibuster on judicial nominees. Just to give you a sense of the bipartisan spirit with which this plan is conceived: In the past, this parliamentary maneuver has been termed "the nuclear option."

And what does Sen. Specter think about this looming battle-to-the-death with the Dems?

It has been my hope that we might be able to approach this whole issue with some cooler perspective. I would have preferred to have some time in the 109th Congress to improve the climate to avoid judicial gridlock and future filibusters.

That's right - he's just put his Wee Willie on the chopping block, again. Stay tuned for what is sure to be a very thrilling conclusion.