Frist withholds Specter support

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist yesterday withheld his support of Sen. Arlen Specter to head the Judiciary Committee, and said the Pennsylvania Republican needed to prove to his colleagues this week that he will run the panel impartially and push nominees all the way to a full Senate vote.

“Fox News Sunday” host Chris Wallace asked Mr. Frist, “Do you support making Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter the new chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee?”

Mr. Frist responded, “Chris, it’s an issue that we’ll begin to face really this week,” adding that a final decision would not be made until early January.

“Ultimately, the members of that committee will choose whether or not he serves as their chairman,” Mr. Frist said.

Mr. Specter will meet individually this week with his colleagues and members of the Senate leadership to “both explain what he meant and what he would do as chairman,” said Mr. Frist, referring to postelection comments by Mr. Specter that it is unlikely the upper body would confirm pro-life nominees.

“Arlen made some statements the day after the election. They were disheartening to me. They were disheartening to a lot of different people,” said Mr. Frist, Tennessee Republican.

Before the election, Mr. Frist signaled his support of Mr. Specter as committee chairman. “Who is going to lead the Judiciary Committee when it considers nominations? Arlen Specter or Pat Leahy?” he said, referring to an Oct. 31 Baltimore Sun article to the ranking Democrat on the committee, Sen. Patrick J. Leahy of Vermont.

Political observers have speculated that, as chairman, Mr. Specter could support nominees with whom he disagrees on issues such as abortion in the committee, and then vote his pro-choice conscience when the nominee comes up for a full vote in the Senate.

However, Mr. Frist told Fox News that is not sufficient.

“I would expect Chairman Specter to go one step further — if it’s Chairman Specter, whoever that chairman is — and that is to have a strong predisposition to supporting that nominee sent over by President Bush, a Republican president, to a Republican Judiciary Committee,” Mr. Frist said.

There will be “adequate debate and discussion,” but the chairman needs to “take that candidate all the way to the floor and to have a strong predisposition of supporting that candidate, including on the floor of the United States Senate,” Mr. Frist said.

Sen. Orrin G. Hatch, Utah Republican, is stepping down as chairman at the end of this session, during which political parties battled over several judicial nominees because of their pro-life stances. Several were denied a floor vote before the whole Senate.

Mr. Hatch “did everything within his power,” but was blocked by a “tyranny of the minority,” Mr. Frist said in reference to Democrats.

“Totally unacceptable,” Mr. Frist said. “The chairman can’t absolutely guarantee [against Democratic obstruction], but can fight for that and make sure that every, every one of these nominees gets an up-or-down vote on the floor of the Senate.”

Mr. Specter appeared on ABC’s “This Week” and said he will assure colleagues in upcoming meetings there will be no litmus test on Supreme Court nominees.

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