Specter Comments on Kennedy
Senator Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) today spoke on the floor of the U.S. Senate in regards to the news that Senator Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) has a malignant brain tumor.
A transcript of Specter’s floor statement follows:
“Just before entering the chamber, I heard the devastating news about Senator Kennedy’s diagnosis with a malignant brain tumor. I’ve been there.
“A few years back, I was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor and given three to six weeks to live. I note in the press release that it says, ‘how well patients fare depends on what specific tumor type is determined by further testing.’ The diagnosis for me for a malignant brain tumor turned out to be incorrect.
“I note that Senator Kennedy will be receiving chemotherapy and radiation. I know something about chemotherapy myself. I’m in the middle of it right now for Hodgkin’s.
“Senator Kennedy is a real fighter – we all know that – and I am betting on Senator Kennedy. He’s been such a champion on so many causes: civil rights, health education, labor reform, and the Judiciary where he served as Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee with great distinction.
“It would be my hope that with what has happened today it would provide some motivation for both parties to find a bipartisan way to cross the aisle and to stop the bickering which has characterized the confirmation process for so many years.
“Senator Kennedy has been an example, a shining example, as how he’s crossed the aisle and sponsored so many legislative enactments. I’ve had the opportunity to cosponsor the Kennedy-Specter Bill, for example, on hate crimes, and the civil rights bill.
“I’ve said all I have to say about the current matter. I spoke at length yesterday and again today on Judge Agee. No doubt he’s well qualified, and the other two nominees as well. When we cite the statistics, you can cite them both ways, you can cite them in both directions. When you talk about fault, it’s equal blame, it’s both sides. The conduct of both parties in this chamber has been disgraceful in the last 20 years. Both sides. First one side, and then the other and each time it exacerbates.
“I worked very closely with Senator Leahy over the years and it is my hope – and we have had some real bipartisan agreements - my hope that he and I can get together again and find a way to solve this partisan morass, to establish a timetable once a nomination comes in, so many days later there’s a hearing, so many days later it comes out of Committee, so many days later it comes to the floor. And in the middle of this battle over this so-called deal, which I’ve spoken on at length, in the news of what’s happened with Senator Kennedy, perhaps it will give us some motivation to follow Senator Kennedy’s lead.
“I yield the floor.”
A transcript of Specter’s floor statement follows:
“Just before entering the chamber, I heard the devastating news about Senator Kennedy’s diagnosis with a malignant brain tumor. I’ve been there.
“A few years back, I was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor and given three to six weeks to live. I note in the press release that it says, ‘how well patients fare depends on what specific tumor type is determined by further testing.’ The diagnosis for me for a malignant brain tumor turned out to be incorrect.
“I note that Senator Kennedy will be receiving chemotherapy and radiation. I know something about chemotherapy myself. I’m in the middle of it right now for Hodgkin’s.
“Senator Kennedy is a real fighter – we all know that – and I am betting on Senator Kennedy. He’s been such a champion on so many causes: civil rights, health education, labor reform, and the Judiciary where he served as Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee with great distinction.
“It would be my hope that with what has happened today it would provide some motivation for both parties to find a bipartisan way to cross the aisle and to stop the bickering which has characterized the confirmation process for so many years.
“Senator Kennedy has been an example, a shining example, as how he’s crossed the aisle and sponsored so many legislative enactments. I’ve had the opportunity to cosponsor the Kennedy-Specter Bill, for example, on hate crimes, and the civil rights bill.
“I’ve said all I have to say about the current matter. I spoke at length yesterday and again today on Judge Agee. No doubt he’s well qualified, and the other two nominees as well. When we cite the statistics, you can cite them both ways, you can cite them in both directions. When you talk about fault, it’s equal blame, it’s both sides. The conduct of both parties in this chamber has been disgraceful in the last 20 years. Both sides. First one side, and then the other and each time it exacerbates.
“I worked very closely with Senator Leahy over the years and it is my hope – and we have had some real bipartisan agreements - my hope that he and I can get together again and find a way to solve this partisan morass, to establish a timetable once a nomination comes in, so many days later there’s a hearing, so many days later it comes out of Committee, so many days later it comes to the floor. And in the middle of this battle over this so-called deal, which I’ve spoken on at length, in the news of what’s happened with Senator Kennedy, perhaps it will give us some motivation to follow Senator Kennedy’s lead.
“I yield the floor.”
.jpg)
Comments