Arlen Specter Quotes

"A lot of people have shifted their views, ... People do shift, so there may be an evolution of his thinking."

"Judge Roberts has projected a very unique persona as he has talked about modesty and humility,"

"The word is that the justices very much applaud his nomination to be chief justice, ... He has the potential, almost from a running start, to bring a new day and a new era to the Supreme Court."

"I'm concerned that it has potential. It may."

"He comes across as very strong, and strength is contagious. It's good to see him and how confident he is."

"I do not believe, personally, that it is appropriate to punish him (by forcing him to sit out the rest of the season). He's not committed a crime, he's committed a breach of contract. And what they're doing against him is vindictive."

"I think that we ought to have more women on the court. Two is a bare minimum. We really ought to have more,"

"When we take a look at the budget for the National Institutes of Health at $28 billion, it is, candidly, scandalous that with our resources, our resource capability, research capability in biomedical science, that people are still dying of breast cancer or colon cancer or heart disease."

"I have raised a certain cautionary signal, that I believe the next nomination is going to be a great deal more contentious than the Roberts nomination,"

"I believe it is important and timely for you to make a full public response on the propriety of your ruling on cases involving Vanguard and Smith Barney, Inc., at times when you had money invested in Vanguard Mutual Funds and Smith Barney, Inc., was your brokerage firm."

"But not on this conversation. We've had it. I've had it."

"I don't want to rule out a compromise,"

"a very heavy commitment to legal interpretation which might differ from his own personal views."

"a stampede to justice."

"The new chief justice will have his work cut out."

"Because of enormous public importance of the upcoming mayoral election, the Department of Justice should release all information concerning the issue related to the bugging of Mayor Street's office, so long as no potential defendant's rights are compromised and no harm will come to any pending investigation,"

"Regrettably, you need homeland security, and I think you are going to need it if not forever, for the foreseeable future,"

"I want to know what the truth is,"

"But I think that it is important to elevate the public consciousness as to what is going on. The four hearings we have had and the way the matter is drifting, in my view, is insufficient to safeguard civil liberties."

"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."