Arlen Specter: “When you strip this argument down, it boils down to an effort by the other side of the aisle to rewrite the advice and…”

“When you strip this argument down, it boils down to an effort by the other side of the aisle to rewrite the advice and consent clause of the Constitution. For more than 200 years, the President has had discretion in the nomination of Federal judges. And unless there is some reason not to confirm them, they then are confirmed. Miguel Estrada has an extraordinary record, Phi Beta Kappa, Columbia; magna cum laude, magna at Harvard, Harvard Law Review, 15 cases in the Supreme Court. The issue of wanting to see some of his writings is a red herring. The issue of wanting further amplification of his views on the Constitution is another red herring. This is simply an effort, when 41 Members from the other side of the aisle decide to oppose cloture, to continue this filibuster. It is my view that we are not going to resolve this matter until we have a real, live, honest to goodness filibuster, and that where the other side of the aisle has to talk. We haven't had one since 1987. The American people do not know what is going on inside the beltway and are likely not to find out until this issue is raised in the conscious level of the American people.”