Senatorial Hypocrisy

Today's the day when a hypocrite runs for cover aided and abetted by his brother Senators. I have written previously that in March of last year Arlen Specter the liberal Republican Senator from Pennsylvania snuck the midnight surprise into the Patriot Act: a provision that permitted the President to appoint U.S. Attorneys without confirmation by the Senate. That the provision enabled Attorney General Gonzalez to fire eight U.S. Attorneys, all known quantities and replace them with eight other lawyers whose qualifications would never be vetted. One of the eight appointed, the new U.S. Attorney for Arkansas, had previously served as a political assistant to Karl Rove. That seems to have been his chief qualification.

By Senate tradition the senior senator of any state may place a "hold" on any judicial appointment in his state. This tradition, widely used by Republicans during Bill Clinton's tenure, permitted Arkansas Senator Mark Pryor to question the appointment. He agreed not to use a "hold," assuming he would be able to question the appointee at confirmation hearings. Senator Specter had kept his amendment to the Patriot Act a secret, another breach of traditional Senatorial courtesy and another instance of collegial and institutional disrespect.

Yesterday, on CBS Face the Nation, Senator Dianne Feinstein revealed that Senator Specter had slipped the amendment into the bill at the behest of William Moschella, Gonzalez's Assistant Attorney General for Legislative Affairs. Moschella is one of the chief players in the U.S. Attorney scandal. He helped draw up the U.S. Attorney hit list in January 2006. In March Specter did Moschella's dirty work and in December, just as the Republicans lost control of Congress, the U.S. Attorneys got fired.

Now Arlen Specter has backed away. He questions the firings but delicately, without suggesting penalties. He recognizes his role in this disgrace and he turns to his friends for help. So yesterday Senator Feinstein announced that Arlen Specter would join her as cosponsor of a bill restoring the Senate's right to confirm U.S. Attorneys. She said the bill will be introduced today and voted on tomorrow. I don't think Senator Specter's "cosponsorship" gets him off the hook.

Senator Specter has disgraced himself and has disgraced the Senate. His colleagues should censor him rather than help him wriggle away from his latest sellout.