Senate Prepares for Constitutional Showdown

Staff / Truthdig Jan 31, 2007 A parade of experts before the Senate Judiciary Committee confirmed the power of Congress to "validly limit the presidential use of force." Tuesday's hearing came as legislators prepared to square off against Bush's war escalation and amid the concern, shared by Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., that a constitutional battle is "imminent." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Specter Preps Bill to Sue Bush Over Signing Statements

Staff / Truthdig Jul 25, 2006 Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), the Senate Judiciary chairman, will introduce a bill that will allow Congress to sue Bush in federal court with the aim of having Bush's signing statements ("interpretations" used to skirt a law's provisions) declared unconstitutional. (h/t: Huff Po) Way to go, Arlen. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Err … About that Specter-Bush Eavesdropping Deal…

Staff / Truthdig Jul 14, 2006 Looks like we were a little too hasty on this one. We had blogged that Sen. Arlen Specter had introduced a bill that would require Bush to get court approval for his NSA wiretapping programs. Turns out that's not the case. Specter's bill would merely give Bush the option of bringing his program before a court -- which Bush should have done in the first place. Think Progress and AMERICAblog have the details. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Breaking: Bush to Submit to Eavesdropping Oversight?

Staff / Truthdig Jul 13, 2006 From CNN: Sen. Arlen Specter revealed a bill that would require a court to review the constitutionality of the National Security Agency's controversial intelligence-gathering program, saying the deal was negotiated with the Bush administration's cooperation, and that Bush would sign the bill if it doesn't change dramatically. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Greenwald Nails Specter on Amnesty Law Lie

Staff / Truthdig Jun 17, 2006 Sen. Arlen Specter went on TV to vehemently deny a Washington Post report that he had proposed legislation which included blanket amnesty for everyone involved with Bush's warrantless spying. But lawyer Glenn Greenwald has apparently proved that the Post was right in its report--and the Specter had lied about it. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Shouting Match Over Gay Marriage Amendment

Staff / Truthdig May 18, 2006 After a Senate committee approved a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., strode out of the room, and Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., bid him "good riddance." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Bipartisan Furor Over NSA Program

Staff / Truthdig May 11, 2006 Many Republican and Democratic lawmakers are furious over the alleged NSA phone record collection program. GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham: "The idea of collecting millions or thousands of phone numbers, how does that fit into following the enemy?" Democratic Sen. Pat Leahy: "It is our government, it's not one party's government." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Specter Will Hold Hearing on Bush’s ‘Signing Statements’

Staff / Truthdig May 5, 2006 The Republican senator announced the move in the wake of news that Bush used "signing statements" to assert his supposed right to circumvent more than 750 laws passed over the last five years. Legal scholars say the breadth of Bush's use of "signing statements" is unprecedented. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Specter Calls for Bush to Speak on Leak

Staff / Truthdig Apr 10, 2006 The Republican senator said of Bush's authorization of the WMD intelligence leak: "We ought to get to the bottom of it so it can be evaluated, again, by the American people." Also: Information had been strongly disputed months before Cheney and Libby leaked it. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Frist Throws Immigration Debate Into Disarray

Staff / Truthdig Mar 17, 2006 The Republican senator stunned both Democrats and the GOP alike by introducing an immigration bill that bypasses others now being debated Bighearted guy that he is, Frist left out a guest-worker provision--which many conservatives view as amnesty for undocumented workers (But which even Bush supported) Check out Truthdig's Marc Cooper to strip away the myths surrounding this hotly debated issue . Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Specter Denies Funneling Money for Lobbyist

Staff / Truthdig Feb 17, 2006 You will be shocked, shocked to learn that Sen. Arlen Specter earmarked $50 million in defense appropriations for clients of a lobbyist married to one of the senator's staffers. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Sen. Specter to Gonzales: ‘That Just Defies Logic and Plain English’

Staff / Truthdig Feb 7, 2006 That's the Republican chair of the Judiciary Committee reacting to the attorney general's attempts to explain how spying without warrants is, in fact, legal. Check out the AG's explanation of why Bush earlier said that spying without warrants is, in fact, illegal: "The President is not a lawyer." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )