Spring Break
Specter only a conservative in conservative's clothing
Vivek Thuppil
Issue date: 4/16/04 Section: Ed-Op
As usual, I got a good laugh out of reading James Mack's commentary ("Specter nothing but a liberal in conservative clothing," The Triangle, April 9, p. 13) last week. In this commentary, he said that Arlen Specter was a bad choice for Republicans and urged Pennsylvanians to vote for Pat Toomey. The reason I got a laugh out of this wasn't because Mack intended his commentary to be humorous; it's because Mack apparently believes that there is actually a chance in hell that Pennsylvanians will vote a right-wing ideologue to the United States Senate.
This commentary will not be in support of Specter. Even though he has voted along with the Democrats on a few occasions, the fact remains that Specter is still a staunch Republican and votes most of the time as such. To prove it, let's take a look at some key issues over the past year. On Oct. 11, 2002, Specter voted to authorize military action in Iraq, even without United Nations support. On July 16, 2003, Specter voted to table an amendment that would have required President Bush to submit to Congress "an unclassified report on the United States strategy regarding activities related to post-conflict security, humanitarian assistance, governance and reconstruction in Iraq that are undertaken as a result of Operation Iraqi Freedom." The amendment also encouraged internationalization of the reconstruction process. Specter apparently decided that a unilateral reconstruction was the only viable thing to do after a unilateral war.
On July 16, 2003, Specter also voted down an amendment supported by Sen. Corzine (D-N.J.) to the Department of Defense Appropriations Act of 2004 that would establish a "national commission on the development and use of intelligence related to Iraq." Among other things, this amendment would have established an independent commission to see whether President Bush mishandled the intelligence and deliberately misled the American people into war. It would have brought some answers to the American people at a time when answers were lacking and casualties were mounting. Specter apparently decided that the American people didn't need to know whether their elected executive leader misled them or not.
This commentary will not be in support of Specter. Even though he has voted along with the Democrats on a few occasions, the fact remains that Specter is still a staunch Republican and votes most of the time as such. To prove it, let's take a look at some key issues over the past year. On Oct. 11, 2002, Specter voted to authorize military action in Iraq, even without United Nations support. On July 16, 2003, Specter voted to table an amendment that would have required President Bush to submit to Congress "an unclassified report on the United States strategy regarding activities related to post-conflict security, humanitarian assistance, governance and reconstruction in Iraq that are undertaken as a result of Operation Iraqi Freedom." The amendment also encouraged internationalization of the reconstruction process. Specter apparently decided that a unilateral reconstruction was the only viable thing to do after a unilateral war.
On July 16, 2003, Specter also voted down an amendment supported by Sen. Corzine (D-N.J.) to the Department of Defense Appropriations Act of 2004 that would establish a "national commission on the development and use of intelligence related to Iraq." Among other things, this amendment would have established an independent commission to see whether President Bush mishandled the intelligence and deliberately misled the American people into war. It would have brought some answers to the American people at a time when answers were lacking and casualties were mounting. Specter apparently decided that the American people didn't need to know whether their elected executive leader misled them or not.
