Bring out the Gimp (R-PA)

If you have been reading anything at all over the past couple weeks or so, you have seen stories about how somewhat moderate Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) has been begging the religious right for the Chairmanship of the Senate Judiciary Committee after rather inocuously commenting that anti-abortion foes might have a hard time getting thorough the Senate. Not by his own hand, mind you... just the Senate in general. But even this small act of heresy got Mullah Dobson and the rest of the clerics in a twist, and Arlen had to submit to proverbial public castration to get his beloved Chairmanship.

Well, I guess that "proverbial" provision is a little more literal than I thought... check this out (via The Talent Show):

Sen. Arlen Specter saved his seat as the next chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee by signing a pledge—a pledge that had to be drafted, then redrafted to the specifications of the GOP leadership.

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Following the firestorm, the pray-in, the retractions, and the bloodletting, Specter's endorsement could come only after he'd agreed, in writing, to "not use a litmus test to deny confirmation to pro-life nominees" and that he had "no reason to believe that I'll be unable to support any individual President Bush finds worthy of nomination." Over his initial objections, he further pledged to support the so-called "nuclear option" to put an end to filibusters: "If a rule change is necessary to avoid filibusters, there are relevant recent precedents to secure rules changes with 51 votes," he said.

Just to clarify: In order to claim the chairmanship of the Judiciary Committee, Arlen Specter was forced to abandon future personal or independent judgment—the very judgment the people of Pennsylvania elected him to exercise. He has pledged—in advance of knowing who they are—to endorse the president's judicial nominees and to vote for a highly controversial GOP rule change to end filibusters and effectively terminate dissent of any sort in the Senate. Is it ironic that judicial nominees may not speculate at their confirmation hearings about how they will vote in future cases, but the chairman of the Judiciary Committee himself cannot be seated until he's pledged in advance to confirm those unknown nominees?

All I have to say is "Wow... WOW!"

He had to SIGN A FRIGGIN' OATH OF FEALTY?!? If I was a Pennsylvania resident (of any political affiliation), I would be livid... he is suborning the interests of his state to a bunch of religious yahoos to further his own position (which obviously backfired a bit). He's literally an indentured servant to the religious right...

I won't be suprised in the least if he has to conduct his committee's meetings wearing black leather and chains, sporting a ball gag, and connected to Dobson's wrist by a short leash...