Arlen Specter

When the Senator from Hew Hampshire talks about a high bar for upsetting a national security letter, he overlooks the provision that you can quash, if it is unreasonable. If the judge finds it is unreasonable, is that too high a bar?

On my time, if the Senator from California would identify the two sections she is concerned with, I would appreciate it.

There is time available on the bill, the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education bill, for those who wish to speak in favor of it. If any of my colleagues wish to do so, I invite them to come to the floor at this time. If there are…

I share the concerns and frustrations expressed by the distinguished ranking member of this subcommittee, Senator Harkin, and I believe he will agree with me that this bill, the bill that the Senate passed was structured as well as we…

When you got beyond the headline -- and starting with the headline that the president had authorized these wiretaps, surveillance of citizens in the United States -- that's wrong and it can't be condoned at all.

Senator Arlen Specter wants to hold hearings.

I have the floor, but I will yield to the Senator from Wisconsin on unanimous consent. I saw Senator Byrd one day perfect this, and I will not make a mistake of yielding without reserving the right to the floor.

The national security letters are stronger in the conference report than they were in the Senate bill. The conclusive presumption in the conference report is more protective than the language in the Senate bill on conclusive presumption…

One moment, and then I will yield for the Senator's reply. The point is, the Senate came to this conclusive presumption and the Senator from Wisconsin voted for it. The full Senate came to this conclusion. The Senator from Wisconsin did…

The Senator from Wisconsin does not know what I did in conference because he was not a conferee. There is no reason why he should know. But I can tell him that I fought very hard for a lot of these provisions, and I can tell him further…

Alito's nomination is not in trouble.

Senator Specter said today it would be the first question he'd ask.

When the Senator from South Carolina says the Supreme Court of the United States can take certiorari, it is at variance with the plain language of the statute. The statute says: The United States Court of Appeals for the District of…

I support the Bingaman amendment and oppose the Graham amendment because the Graham amendment is sophisticated court-stripping. On the face of the Graham amendment, it says the DC Circuit has exclusive jurisdiction, and on the face of it…

A review of his record as a federal judge for the past 15 years found a very heavy commitment to legal interpretation which might differ from his own personal views.

I am aware of this issue too. I note that thimerosal has been out of childhood vaccines since 2001. I understand that the AAP doesn't think there is a link between thimerosal and autism and that an Institute of Medicine, IOM, report…

I, too, recognize the importance of correct information, prevention, and early detection in health care. Clearly, efforts must be made to encourage men to address their health problems in a confident, timely, and meaningful manner. I…

I say to my colleague that I am aware of these examples and I share his concern.

I thank my colleagues. That last 15- minute vote was 14 minutes. We now have a very brief period for colloquies and some agreed-to amendments. Senator Harkin and I wanted to be sure that we hadn't missed anybody, so we did not do this in…

We will now proceed to the amendment of the Senator from Nevada. It is the anticipation of the managers following that amendment that we will have two rollcall votes. I ask unanimous consent that after the yeas and nays have been ordered…

With reluctance, I have to raise a point of order. This will push us over the brink. Under section 302(f) of the Budget Act, this amendment would create a situation where the authority and outlays would be in excess of the subcommittee…

We will keep a sharp eye on this program in conference. If there is any way to increase the funding to any extent, Senator Harkin and I will be very sympathetic.

We are now in a position to move to a number of amendments on which there is agreement. As we review the bidding here, there are prospects for several more rollcall votes. It is, as usual, impossible to tell whether we will need the…

Before moving ahead to the amendments on the flu pandemic, there are some amendments which have been cleared and which have been accepted on both sides. I call up Thune amendment No. 2193. This amendment provides $10 million for the…

Regular order. I hate to interrupt my colleague from Virginia, but we have a unanimous consent request to proceed with----