Arlen Specter Quotations

There's nothing more important than our good health - that's our principal capital asset.

The First Amendment freedom of religion is as important today as when the Bill of Rights was first written.

We don't need holy wars. What we need is tolerance and brotherhood and simple humanity.

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

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.

It's inspirational to see someone who is dying smile.

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.

There is no higher value in our society than integrity.

There's nothing in the First Amendment that even remotely talks about spending money for political contests, and to say that an individual can spend as much of his or her own money as he or she wants constitutionally without any limitation, I think is just absurd.

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

When the 14th Amendment, equal protection clause was enacted, the galleries in the Senate were segregated. Now we have integration.

Separation of power says the judiciary committee is supposed to confirm qualified judges and then what the Supreme Court does, that is their function, not my function.

The fundamental purpose of government is to protect its citizens.

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

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

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

Well, I believe that when you are confirming a United States Supreme Court Justice, that it really isn't Democratic or Republican; it's American.

In our social contract, we have provisions that see to it that you take care of people who need some help.

The best way to reduce the cost of medical care is to reduce the illness.

I knew people were going to see me see deteriorate before their eyes.

Strong advocacy for education, health care and worker safety will be indispensable if they are to get their fair share of President Bush's austere budget for the next fiscal year.

I'm battling cancer. It's another battle I intend to win.

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

Pennsylvania is a very tough state; people don't last long in Pennsylvania politics.

I don't like labels. I think they conceal more than they reveal, sort of like a bikini.

I just was not going to subject my record to the bleak prospects of a primary election.

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.

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.

It's been a great privilege to serve the people of Pennsylvania.

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

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

Beating the tea party gang is more important than who does the beating.

I've been playing squash almost daily for 38 years.

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

When Pat Robertson says there is no constitutional doctrine of separation of church and state, I say he is wrong.

If we had pursued what President Nixon declared in 1970 as the war on cancer, we would have cured many strains. I think Jack Kemp would be alive today. And that research has saved or prolonged many lives, including mine.

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

Americans' addiction to sports, with the NFL at the top, is based on the excitement generated by the potential for the unexpected great play which can only happen with honest competition from great athletes.

I have not taken a position on that nuclear option. My view is I'm not going to do anything until I come to that bridge. I'm not going to jump off the bridge until I come to it

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

If Romney wants to make me responsible for ObamaCare, I've said I would be proud to be responsible for it.

I am opposed to anybody making a decision for you or me or anybody else about what health care plan we should have.

The essence of a democracy is a free electorate.

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

It is with unwelcome frequency that I find myself the deciding vote.

My mother, Lillie Specter, was an angel and totally uninterested in politics.

When I'm asked about legacy, I say it's too early to talk about legacy.

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

But one way or another, judges perform a very vital function in our society. They have a risky job and they are entitled to security.

I don't expect people to agree with all my votes.

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

I'm ordinarily pretty correct in what I say.

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

Lawyers advocate more so than state their own positions.

My tenure in the Senate was really as an independent and whichever, regardless of party label.

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

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

Whatever my party affiliation, I will continue to be guided by President Kennedy's statement that sometimes party asks too much.

You know, a statesman is a dead politician.

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.

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.

The Supreme Court has a very light backlog. They leave a lot of splits among the circuits, a lot of uncertainty. And I think they ought to work a lot harder.

My analysis is that we have 62 votes at the present time, and we've got about 15 more people who are thinking it over,

On the balance of her answers, they're incomplete,

I wouldn't support a bill that impinges on civil liberties.

If we give up the power of the purse, which is what is at issue here, then it really reduces the Congress to the state of being a eunuch,

when the last senator stops talking - and that's always hard to predict.

Should (the information) have been shared if it could have prevented (the) 9/11 (attacks)?

Somatic cell nuclear transfer does not relate to cloning, and the people who call it therapeutic cloning are creating a lot of confusion, because it is not cloning at all, and it certainly is not reproductive cloning,

Of all of the items which could provide an economic stimulus to the U.S. economy, I think asbestos reform would be the most important.

One of the things that I talked to her about was the complexity of a Supreme Court nomination hearing because there are a lot of complicated issues. And I said to her, 'You've got a pretty good road map in what went on with Chief Justice Roberts.

No one wants to back down and no one wants to lose face,

If the Senate were to reject the treaty, then it would be highly publicized worldwide. It would be an open excuse for countries like India and Pakistan to continue nuclear testing which I think is very undesirable, destabilizing that area of the world,

I'd like the specifics in writing, focusing on why the people whose information was breached couldn't have been notified earlier. Those people are all at risk, and you have a duty to notify them at the earliest possible moment.

If we find that there was any quid pro quo, money for pardons, then of course that's a criminal activity and we'll pursue that,

Look, the president can discharge all 93 U.S. attorneys for no reason at all, but not for a bad reason.

When you deal in constitutional law, you're dealing in some very esoteric, complicated subjects that require a great deal of background, ... The jurisprudence is very complicated, and I will be pressing her very hard on these issues.

When you deal in constitutional law, you're dealing in some very esoteric complicated subjects that require a great deal of background. And that kind of background doesn't come unless you are in the field or unless you're really studying it.

Mr. Rove, like every other citizen, is entitled to the presumption of innocence, and until somebody says that he's done something wrong, he ought to be permitted to go about his business like anybody else.

meets the U.N. inspection demands, okay. A diplomatic settlement is always preferable to a military air strike, even though Saddam Hussein has carried us to the brink of war, inflicted a lot of psychological damage and a lot of money costs. If the fine print measures up, we'll take a close look at it.

Mr. Curling, Mr. Sanford, we may well face a necessity for some really tough legislation that will have you do your duty,

She has always been very direct, very straightforward, very logical and good to deal with,

Sen. Leahy and I took a look at it and agreed that it was insufficient and are sending back a detailed letter asking for amplification on many, many of the items,

Senator Leahy and I took a look at it and agreed that it was insufficient,

Senator Reid is entitled to his opinion, but he's not the president of the United States, and he doesn't administer justice in this country,

Sen. Leahy and I have our differences, but when it comes to procedures on the committee and setting how things are going to be done, I consult with him at every turn,

She said she believes there's a right to privacy (in the Constitution), ... And she believes Griswold was rightly decided.

She's intelligent, she's hard-working, unquestioned integrity. She fought her way up, couldn't get a job when she graduated from law school because she was a woman.

I am very anxious to get this hearing into the hearing room, where we have a stenographer and we have a witness and we have orderly procedures, ... and take the proceedings away from the back rooms and away from the conference calls and away from the corridors and do it like the Constitution says it ought be done.

I found it was easier to get out of bed than to stay in bed, so I got out of bed and went about my business,

Getting $400,000 on a contingency basis for success is startling, to say the least, ... We need to hear from Roger Clinton, and basically, I still think we need to hear from the president as to what consideration he gave to Hugh Rodham and to his brother Roger Clinton.

I am committed to conducting a full, fair and dignified hearing.

I am concerned about the Supreme Court's judicial activism which has usurped congressional authority,

Given the option in this trial, I suspect many senators would choose 'not proved' instead of 'not guilty,'

I believe the next nomination is going to be a great deal more contentious than the Roberts nomination. I say that because, bubbling just below the surface was a lot of frustration in the hearing that we just concluded.

I believe there is substantial doubt as to how he would apply fundamental principles of constitutional law.

I believe there is value in rolling up the score,

I believe the vote will come during the week of September 26. That's when the floor leader will bring up ... the matter. I would suspect that we'd vote by Thursday the 29th, ... Face the Nation.

But there's no doctrinal basis erosion in Roe, is there?

Basically, Americans do not understand the gravity of the oversights on what appears to be the case with both the FBI and the CIA,