Arlen Specter Quotes

Arlen Specter presents plain-spoken, argumentative thoughts on policy, politics and security that feel like a reasoned debate.

45 quotes

1. There is just no sensible, logical reason why we would not make use of stem cell research.

2. We will submit legislation to the United States Senate which will...authorize the Congress to undertake judicial review of those signing statements with the view to having the president's acts declared unconstitutional.

3. There ought to be a million-person march on the Mall... that can be heard in the living quarters of the White House.

4. We're all looking for a plan that will work. The current plan is not working, and 21,500 additional troops -- it's a snowball in July. It's not going to work.

5. I would suggest respectfully to the president that he is not the sole decider. The decider is a shared and joint responsibility.

6. Resolutions are flying like snowflakes around here.

7. I didn't want to get into a political debate with him, but my patience was running thin...My shorts were getting a little tight.

8. American credibility in the war on terrorism depends on a strong stand against all terrorist acts, whether committed by foe or friend.

9. As a matter of traditional and sound constitutional doctrine, an amendment to the Constitution should be the last resort when all other measures have proved inadequate.

10. As I think through the issue of funding the rebuilding of Iraq, I think about the analogy of a bankruptcy proceeding. There is no doubt that Iraq as a country is bankrupt.

11. Effective security measures do not come cheap.

12. Heart disease continues to be the number one killer; cancer, the number 2 killer, not far behind. The tragic aspect of these deadly diseases is that they could all be cured, I do believe, if we had sufficient funding.

13. I must say I am not pleased to have to arrange the Senate schedule around the availability of Senators who are running for President.

14. If this will require a rollcall vote, I cannot predict how many rollcall votes we will have this evening, but I would not make dinner plans.

15. If you are going to have to play defense all the time, you cannot have the kind of ingenuity, assertiveness, independence, and intelligence which is what has made our country strong.

16. It is my hope that we will spend more time talking about the substantive needs of schoolchildren than the issue of attaching political blame.

17. The essence of a democracy is a free electorate.

18. The events of 9/11, as well as the war in Iraq, require our government to intensify its efforts to combat terrorism.

19. The fundamental purpose of government is to protect its citizens.

20. There is no doubt that our nation's security and defeating terrorism trump all other priorities.

21. Today the Internal Revenue Code constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. A flat tax would be an enormous step forward.

22. Voting is fundamental in our democracy. It has yielded enormous returns.

23. We are not utilizing the Iraqi oil for U.S. purposes. We are not asking that the Iraqi oil be used to pay our military expenses. We are asking only that the Iraqi oil be used to rebuild Iraq - that is, to rebuild Iraq for the Iraqi people.

24. When the students are occupied, they're not juvenile delinquents. I believe that education is a capital investment.

25. White-collar crime convictions are deterrents, I've seen a lot of that. Imprisoning heads of state is a deterrent, too. It doesn't happen very often.

26. People in government and public life are being kicked around at a high rate of speed.

27. Do you believe today that the right to privacy does exist in the Constitution?

28. The solicitor general is sometimes referred to as the 10th Supreme Court justice - a pretty important position.

29. I think it's scandalous that we haven't done more to cure cancer.

30. No senator's vote, except for the declaration of war or the authorization for the use of force, is more important than the confirmation of a nominee for the Supreme Court for a lifetime appointment.

31. When the president acts in absence of a congressional grant of authority, he can rely only upon his own independent powers. When the president takes measures incompatible with the express or implied will of Congress, his power is at its lowest ebb.

32. I'd make - before I'd elect somebody - I'd make him do town meetings and face the people and then I would insist that the person not run on a platform of no compromising. The meaningful thing that the leaders could do would be to be dedicated to a discussion across the isle, to vote their consciences and not to follow the strict party line. I think that would lead to sensible decisions.

33. As the Republican Party has moved farther and farther to the right, I have found myself increasingly at odds with the Republican philosophy and more in line with the philosophy of the Democratic Party.

34. I am very much opposed to abortion personally. But I don't think it is the government's rule.

35. My definition of winning at squash is playing and surviving, and I've never lost a match.

36. When I supported the stimulus package, I knew that it would not be popular with the Republican Party.

37. I think if you can get people to laugh, you can get people to listen.

38. My father was an immigrant who literally walked across Europe to get out of Russia. He fought in World War I. He was wounded in action. My father was a great success even though he never had money. He was a very determined man, a great role model.

39. I think my independence was a big help to getting Judges Roberts and Alito confirmed, and I think that's recognized.

40. The American people do not care which Party solves the problems confronting our nation.

41. If enough people would come out the right wing, the extremists couldn't dominate.

42. There is no higher value in our society than integrity.

43. There are conspiracies all over the Senate floor on any day!

44. The extremists took over the primary process.

45. It's a rarity when someone takes a political risk in Washington today in the public interest.