GOP judiciary panel members back Specter as new chairman

WASHINGTON -- Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans on Thursday endorsed beleaguered Sen. Arlen Specter as new committee chairman, despite objections from Christian groups that complain that the moderate Pennsylvania Republican would stymie the GOP's conservative agenda.

Specter, who battled for the job for two weeks, promised Republicans that he would get President Bush's judicial nominees through the committee quickly. He also said he would stop Democrats from blocking Bush judicial nominations through hours of long debates, or filibusters.

Specter, 74, who supports abortion rights, said he would not try to prevent the appointment of Bush judicial nominees who want to overturn Roe v. Wade. And he would let the committee weigh controversial Bush proposals, such as limiting lawsuit awards.

Seven of the nine other Republican committee members stood with Specter during a Capitol news conference. They included conservative Sens. Jeff Sessions of Alabama and Saxby Chambliss of Georgia.

Their support makes it likely Specter will be voted chairman when the new Congress convenes in January. Specter is next in line in seniority to replace current Chairman Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, who must give up the post due to term limits.

The committee will get much attention during Bush's second term because the president could pick several new Supreme Court justices. The committee will be the first to vet these nominees.

"I'm pleased to announce there is unanimity among current members of the committee that Arlen Specter will be the next chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee," Hatch said.

Christian organizations such as the Family Research Council protested and held a pray-in on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, urging Republicans to turn down Specter's chairmanship. Specter angered the groups when he told reporters this month Bush would have difficulty getting the Senate to approve judges who would overturn Roe v. Wade.

Specter immediately defended his record as a Bush supporter. He said he voted to approve every Bush judicial nominee and won confirmation of Bush federal judge candidates, such as Pennsylvania Attorney General Mike Fisher, over stiff Democratic opposition.

This week Specter held meetings with Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., and dozens of Republicans to campaign for the chairman job.

He crafted a statement defending his past work on the committee. And Specter agreed to meet with influential conservatives Paul Weyrich, founder of the Heritage Foundation, and anti-abortion activist Gary Bauer.

Still, Specter said he did not feel forced to prove his loyalty to Bush and the Republican Party. "I have not been pressured at all in anything I have said and done," he said.

A group that supports abortion said the fight over Specter's chairmanship shows Congress has become more conservatively Republican and extreme after the Nov. 2 elections. Republicans gained a wider majority in the House and Senate and many voters were concerned with moral and social issues such as abortion and gay marriage.

But David Seldin, spokesman for NARAL Pro-Choice America, said the controversy over Specter was unnecessary. Specter has not gone out of his way to protect abortion rights, Seldin said.

"It shouldn't be any surprise," he said about Republicans' decision to back Specter. "There is some fiction he is pro-choice but he hasn't voted that way in years and years."

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