Arlen Specter: “I rise to compliment the Pittsburgh Steelers on a phenomenal season and a great Super Bowl victory. I regret I could not…”

“I rise to compliment the Pittsburgh Steelers on a phenomenal season and a great Super Bowl victory. I regret I could not go to Detroit to see the game. But a session had been scheduled many weeks ago to bring in Attorney General Gonzales on the electronic surveillance issue at 9:30 yesterday morning. I checked it out, and the earliest I could have gotten back to Washington would have been the middle of the night. I thought it more sensible to attend to those important duties for the hearing with the Attorney General and to watch the game on television. I was very heartened to see that game, to see that 75-yard run, the longest in Super Bowl history, to see that phenomenal catch, practically a ``hail Mary,'' on the 3-yard line, to see the young quarterback Ben Roethlisberger carry it over on the replay and the great dispute about whether there was a touchdown, and it was a touchdown. The earlier touchdown was nullified when a Seattle receiver had pushed off and been called with an infraction. And then when the Steelers were driving at 14 to 3 toward a putaway touchdown, the intercepted pass and long runback, and the Seahawks came within 14 to 10. Then the Seahawks mounted a drive and were closing in on a touchdown which would have put them ahead 17 to 14, and then came the Steelers' interception. So, it was phenomenal and thrilling game.…”