The Senate Judiciary Committee voted along party lines to approve a constitutional amendment stating that marriage in the United States shall consist only of the "union of a man and a woman." But the amendment is not expected to get the approval of two-thirds of the Senate, which is necessary to pass a constitutional amendment.

Stating the obvious, Democrats "complained that bringing up the amendment is a political move designed to appeal to the GOP's conservative base in a midterm-election year."

Well duh! Perhaps a clever Democrat could find a way to defer debate on the issue until after November?

CNN's The Situation Room reported "one Democrat walked out of the session that was held in a private chamber just off the Senate floor." Sen. Russ Feingold "complained to Chairman Arlen Specter that the meeting wasn't sufficiently open to the public. We're told that led to this exchange. Specter told Feingold, 'I don't need to be lectured by you. You are no more of a protector of the Constitution than am I. If you want to leave, good riddance.' Feingold then responded, 'I've enjoyed your lecture, too, Mr. Chairman. See you.'"

More interestingly, Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy said "Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch, who supports the gay-marriage ban, has expressed support for polygamists in his home state of Utah. "I never said that," Hatch responded.
"I know some (polygamists) that are very sincere. ... Don't accuse me of wanting to have polygamy."

Noted GOP "moderate" (a term which, of course, should always be put in scare quotes) Arlen Specter plays his role in the carefully scripted Mighty Wurlitzer sitcom yet again this morning.

President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney should speak publicly about their involvement in the CIA leak case so people can understand what happened, a leading Republican senator said Sunday.

"We ought to get to the bottom of it so it can be evaluated by the American people," said Sen. Arlen Specter (news, bio, voting record) of Pennsylvania, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

{snip}

I think it is necessary for the president and vice president to tell the American people exactly what happened," Specter told "Fox News Sunday."

"There's been enough of a showing that the president of the United States owes a specific explanation to the American people ... about exactly what he did," Specter said.

Now doubtless Specter will be excoriated by certain portions of the wingnutosphere, but it will be understood that he's doing exactly what is required of him: providing the appearance of an inquiry into a situation that cannot be ignored outright in order, of course, to provide an outlet for a congressionally sponsored whitewash.

Anybody who expects anything different hasn't been paying very much attention to anything the past five years.

-- Stu

As soon as Alito's nomination was announced, speculation commenced about what "moderate" Republican Senate Judiciary Chair Arlen Specter would do.  Would he support Alito?  Would he go so far as to vote for the nuclear option?  Why had he absented himself from the Gang of 14 last spring?

In Luam's excellent piece here the other day trying to determine how many votes there would be on Alito -- most importantly, on the nuclear option -- , he suggests that Specter might very well be considered along with Snowe, Collins, Chafee, and perhaps McCain and Warner, as possible no votes.

It's possible, but I wouldn't put any money on it.