Senator Arlen Specter doesn’t like being blown off. From a letter to Dick Cheney, accusing him of going behind Specter’s back to other Republican members of the Judiciary Committee:
“I was surprised, to say the least, that you sought to influence, really determine, the action of the Committee without calling me first, or at least calling me at some point. This was especially perplexing since we both attended the Republican Senators caucus lunch yesterday and I walked directly in front of you on at least two occasions enroute from the buffet to my table.”
He is keen to social dynamics, sensitive to slights, especially when they involve willfully not discussing Constitutional issues in casual settings. I am reminded of the flap with Ted Kennedy during the Alito confirmation. Kennedy threatened to hold up the hearings if a subpoena wasn’t issued. Specter was characteristically quizzical:
“I am just a little puzzled at the issue being raised in this manner,” Mr. Specter said. “Senator Kennedy and I frequent the gym at the same time,” he continued, “He never mentioned it to me.”
So if you see Arlen Specter outside of regular office hours–plate piled high with roast beef, or shirt dripping with sweat from a steps class–stop and say hello. He’s always open for business.
Jack Silbert, curator