go Arlen
Specter ready to force showdown
GOP senator emerges as White House rival on legislative issues
By Rick Klein, Globe Staff | June 9, 2006
WASHINGTON -- Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter emerged this week as a nemesis that the Bush White House hasn't had to face: A subpoena-wielding member of Congress who is ready to force a showdown over what he sees as the Bush administration's intrusion into legislative territory.
From President Bush's warrantless eavesdropping program to the ``signing statements" in which he selectively enforces portions of laws, Republicans in control of the House and Senate have been unwilling to challenge the White House.
Democrats have howled in protest but remain powerless to force changes because of their minority status in Congress.
Specter, however, seems willing to take Bush and his administration to task. A strong believer in the Senate's institutional prerogatives, the Pennsylvania Republican has grown increasingly frustrated with a presidency that he believes is encroaching on Congress's power -- and lawmakers' checks on the power of the White House.
That spurred the unusual letter Specter fired off Wednesday to Vice President Dick Cheney. Specter blasted the vice president, accusing him of going behind his back to derail a Senate investigation into the administration's secret collection of Americans' phone records to look for terrorist activity.
Specter has also made it clear that he is willing to use his post on the powerful judiciary committee to broaden his inquiry into other controversial White House policies. He is raising fresh concerns over Bush's use of signing statements as well as Justice Department threats to prosecute reporters, and the recent FBI raid on a House member's office; it is unclear, however, if he has enough support from other committee members.
Bush ``doesn't have a blank check. He's not the final word. We have a Constitution," Specter said Wednesday night on CNN. ``I intend to press hard, because there are very fundamental values at issue here: civil rights and congressional oversight authority."
Cheney's response to Specter, however, offered no apologies -- and did not address Specter's questions about the wiretapping program or other White House actions. The vice president described his private conversations with Republican senators simply as ``government at work."
Despite their disagreements, ``we should proceed in a practical way to build on the areas of agreement," Cheney wrote. ``We look forward to working with you, knowing of the good faith on all sides."