Arlen Specter – News Stories About Arlen Specter - Page 5

Feb 10, 2009 8:11 AM CST

Specter Tells Ingraham to 'Get Off It'

(Newser) - Arlen Specter got into an on-air tiff with Laura Ingraham yesterday, when the conservative talk show host said the Republican senator must have been “wined and dined at the White House,” because he supported the stimulus package. “Oh, get off it, Laura,” a piqued Specter replied....

GOP Questions Put Brakes on Holder Vote

Jan 21, 2009 3:04 PM CST

GOP Questions Put Brakes on Holder Vote

Committee will wait week on AG nominee, infuriating chair Leahy

(Newser) - The Senate Judiciary Committee delayed today’s scheduled vote on Eric Holder’s confirmation by another week, CNN reports. Republican members engineered the move, saying they have questions about the attorney-general nominee’s stance on interrogation techniques. Chairman Patrick Leahy, who said he was “extremely disappointed,” banged down...

Real Reason for Rich Pardon: Israeli Pressure

OPINION

Jan 16, 2009 8:59 AM CST

Real Reason for Rich Pardon: Israeli Pressure

It's a taboo topic in DC, as evidenced by Holder's hearing

(Newser) - For the sake of a quiet confirmation, attorney general nominee Eric Holder is letting us forget the real reason for Bill Clinton’s controversial Marc Rich pardon. Clinton didn’t let Rich off the hook because of his generous wife, writes Joe Conason in Salon. He did so because of...

Holder:
Waterboarding Is Torture

Jan 15, 2009 10:40 AM CST

Holder: Waterboarding Is Torture

But supports FISA, Patriot Act

(Newser) - Eric Holder minced no words when asked about waterboarding in his confirmation hearing today. “Waterboarding is torture,” the AG-designate said, a declaration neither Michael Mukasey nor Alberto Gonzales was willing to make. He said that, even in emergencies, the president couldn’t override the constitution. Republicans also leapt...

Republicans
Picking a Fight
Over Holder

Jan 9, 2009 10:45 AM CST

Republicans Picking a Fight Over Holder

Dems need one GOP vote to move AG pick out of committee

(Newser) - Senate Republicans seem to have settled on attorney-general-designate Eric Holder as their main target for a tough confirmation hearing. Thanks to his liberal leanings and his role in the Clinton administration—especially the controversial 11th-hour Marc Rich pardon—Holder will get a grilling in the Judiciary Committee. Ranking Republican Arlen...

In Franken's Run,
Cautionary Tale for Matthews

ANALYSIS

Dec 1, 2008 1:46 PM CST

In Franken's Run, Cautionary Tale for Matthews

MSNBC host's celebrity isn't all that, and Franken didn't exactly win, either

(Newser) - Chris Matthews seems determined to run for a Senate seat in Pennsylvania in 2010, but beating Republican Arlen Specter isn’t his only problem, Steve Kornacki writes in the New York Observer. The MSNBC host is a cipher to 60% of the electorate, and there are other qualified, ambitious Democrats...

Ga.'s Chambliss on Runoff: 'We'll Win Again'

TALK SHOW ROUNDUP

Nov 30, 2008 12:48 PM CST

Ga.'s Chambliss on Runoff: 'We'll Win Again'

Fellow GOP senators praise Obama picks, pledge bipartisanship

(Newser) - Despite failing to muster 50% of the vote Nov. 4, Sen. Saxby Chambliss said he would prevail in Tuesday’s runoff against Democrat Jim Martin. “We’ll win again,” the Georgia Republican declared on Fox News Sunday. But Chambliss declined to say he would benefit from the lower...

Matthews Rounds Up Staff
for Senate Run

Nov 28, 2008 5:42 PM CST

Matthews Rounds Up Staff for Senate Run

MSNBC host denies deals with Obama aides for 2010

(Newser) - Chris Matthews is lining up a top-notch staff to manage his campaign for the Pennsylvania Senate seat held by Arlen Specter, FiveThirtyEight reports. Multiple sources say the MSNBC host has made deals with seasoned Obama aides to run the 2010 campaign. Polls already show that Matthews, running as a Democrat,...

Specter's Cancer Returns

Apr 15, 2008 7:26 PM CDT

Specter's Cancer Returns

Pennsylvania Republican, 78, says he'll work while undergoing chemotherapy

(Newser) - After three years in remission, cancerous Hodgkin's disease has reappeared in the body of Sen. Arlen Specter, the Pennsylvania Republican said today. "I consider this just another bump on the road to a successful recovery from Hodgkin's, from which I've been symptom-free for three years," said Specter, 78....

Clinton, Obama Both
Inflate Senate Records

Mar 24, 2008 1:21 PM CDT

Clinton, Obama Both Inflate Senate Records

From laws to peace deals, candidates' roles appear to grow in hindsight

(Newser) - Barack Obama didn’t take part in meetings on immigration legislation in 2006, recalls Arlen Specter, one of the handful of senators who did, but Specter just shrugs when the Illinois Democrat says he did. “It’s not an unusual matter for senators to take a little extra credit,...

Bush Spars With Senators Over Housing Fixes

Feb 27, 2008 11:56 AM CST

Bush Spars With Senators Over Housing Fixes

Democrats and Republicans push to go further; feds don't want 'bailout'

(Newser) - Congressional Democrats are pushing for new bankruptcy rules to help homeowners suffering from the mortgage crisis, the Washington Post reports—though the White House says it will veto any plan that could hurt lenders and send mortgage rates upward. Democrats say enough Republicans from hard-hit states could join them in...

Mortgage Crisis: Judges to the Rescue?

Feb 26, 2008 1:00 PM CST

Mortgage Crisis: Judges to the Rescue?

Democrats back plan to let jurists change loan terms

(Newser) - Over the loud objections of lenders, Senate Democrats are lining up behind a plan to give bankruptcy judges the power to alter mortgages, the LA Times reports. The proposals could go to the floor as early as today. “This bill will have more impact… than any other option currently...

Specter: Patriots Spying Since 2000

Feb 14, 2008 1:14 AM CST

Specter: Patriots Spying Since 2000

Senator says NFL chief told him Belichick thought it was legal

(Newser) - The New York Jets were just the tip of the iceberg as far as spying goes for New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick. Senator Arlen Specter said yesterday that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told him Belichick has been illegally taping opponents defensive signals since 2000, reports the Associated Press. Most...

Specter Presses NFL Commish on Spying Flap

UPDATED

Feb 1, 2008 1:57 PM CST

Specter Presses NFL Commish on Spying Flap

Senator calls Pats case 'analogous to the CIA destruction of tapes'

(Newser) - Arlen Specter wants to know why the NFL destroyed evidence of spying by the New England Patriots, the New York Times reports. The Republican senator from Pennsylvania says commissioner Roger Goodell will eventually be called to answer for the tapes' destruction in the context of the league’s antitrust exemption....

Mukasey Tells Congress to Back Off CIA Tapes Inquiry

Dec 14, 2007 3:44 PM CST

Mukasey Tells Congress to Back Off CIA Tapes Inquiry

AG won't divulge investigation details

(Newser) - Michael Mukasey isn't about to open up to Democratic lawmakers who want details of the Justice Department’s ongoing investigation into the CIA’s destruction of interrogation tapes, the Washington Post reports. In letters sent today, the new AG also restated his objections to appointing a special prosecutor to investigate,...

Committee Votes to Hold Rove, Bolten in Contempt

Dec 13, 2007 12:37 PM CST

Committee Votes to Hold Rove, Bolten in Contempt

Act challenging executive privilege may stall before full Senate

(Newser) - The Senate Judiciary Committee voted to hold Karl Rove and Josh Bolten in contempt today, the AP reports, for ignoring subpoenas on the US attorneys scandal. The White House, however, says the citations will likely die on the Senate floor. “I vote knowing that it’s highly likely to...

Senator Has Hots for Anti-Sex Ed

Oct 31, 2007 3:37 PM CDT

Senator Has Hots for Anti-Sex Ed

Arlen Specter racks up $8M for abstinence education in state

(Newser) - Arlen Specter has won over $8 million in earmarks for abstinence education in Pennsylvania, sparking jibes from critics and accusations of political pandering. The moderate Republican senator supports abortion rights and sex education, Politico reports, leading some to cry hypocrisy when he directs money to no-sex-until-marriage projects like Coolvirginity.com.

Mukasey Calls Waterboarding 'Repugnant,' Dodges Legality

Oct 31, 2007 6:09 AM CDT

Mukasey Calls Waterboarding 'Repugnant,' Dodges Legality

AG nominee's 'massive hedge' worries critics

(Newser) - Attorney general nominee Michael Mukasey frustrated senators on both sides of the aisle by again refusing to specify whether he considers waterboarding a form of torture, calling it only "repugnant," CNN reports. "Hypotheticals are different from real life," Mukasey wrote to confirmation committee members yesterday, adding...

Mukasey Hits Resistance
on Torture

Oct 27, 2007 6:47 AM CDT

Mukasey Hits Resistance on Torture

Dems balk over AG nominee's refusal to rule out waterboarding

(Newser) - If AG nominee Michael Mukasey doesn't clarify his views on which interrogation techniques are constitutional, Democratic senators say they may oppose his confirmation. Proceedings that were expected to be smooth sailing ran into trouble this week when Mukasey, who has denounced the use of torture, declined to specify whether he...

Senate Brokers Truce With Bush on Domestic Spying

Oct 18, 2007 4:07 AM CDT

Senate Brokers Truce With Bush on Domestic Spying

Includes immunity for phone companies

(Newser) - Senate Democrats and Republicans have brokered a deal on legislation regarding the White House domestic spying and wiretapping program—including a highly controversial grant of immunity to telecommunication companies that co-operated with warrantless wiretaps. The deal marks a victory for the White House because Democrats had to kill a House...