Sen. Arlen Specter, who moved right to stave off a conservative challenge in this year's Pennsylvania Republican primary, took a sharp left turn in a general election debate last weekend.
Noting that he is in line to become chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Specter promised: "I can bring centrist judges to the bench." This contrasted with his primary campaign promise to back all of George W. Bush's judicial nominees.
In last Saturday's debate, Specter reneged on another primary election campaign pledge to back personal Social Security accounts advocated by his two conservative champions: President Bush and Pennsylvania's senior Republican Sen. Rick Santorum. "I looked more deeply into the issue," Specter said, "and found it would create a $1 trillion diversion."
JUDICIAL POLITICS
Rep. James Sensenbrenner, Republican chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, last Tuesday saved a conservative plan to undermine the liberal 9th Circuit Court of Appeals based in San Francisco.
The measure, sponsored by Republican Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho, would strip Montana, Idaho, Nevada, Arizona, Alaska, Oregon and Washington from the 9th Circuit. The long-pending effort enjoyed new life two years ago when the circuit ruled that inclusion of "under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance was unconstitutional.
However, eight conservative Republican congressmen from California voted against the bill on grounds that it created new judgeships that John Kerry, if elected president, would fill with liberals. The bill was losing 195 to 201 when Sensenbrenner went to work on the Californians, arguing that George W. Bush was going to be elected. All eight switched, and the bill passed 205 to 194.