Sen. Arlen Specter Interview

This is my biggest interview to date. Sen. Specter came to town on a Saturday and nobody else wanted the assignment, so I took it, and it was great. In another time this guy would be a French nobleman, but for now he is still the senior senator from Pennsylvania. I thought all the time I would get was a few minutes after his his Q & A, but he invited me to travel with him and his press secretary to Indiana, Pa where he was going to meet June Allison (It' a Wonderful Life) for a dedication at the Jimmy Stewart museum. So I went. As any good reporter I had 20 questions prepared, but there I was for two hours in the back seat with the senator and his press secretary on the road. Well, I ran out of question after 15 minutes and we discussed everything imaginable. His kids, travels, the death penalty (He really paused when I told him I thought he was wrong about quick executions, because what if there was an error. Did he want to execute the innocent?)
Finally we got to the Warren Commission Report on the assassination of President Kennedy. I knew was in over my head here because HE WROTE THE WARREN COMMISSION REPORT ON THE ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT KENNEDY. He was kind as he walked me through his single bullet theory. I thought about this interview later because recently a detailed computer model of the assassination seemed to show (not prove) that theory might be correct.
One last reflection on the senator. I always want my leaders to be smarter than I am, and for sure, this guy is.
I had the opportunity to see Sen. Specter again in April 2008 at a book signing. He was not as I remembered and I don't see him running again. He will be missed.
Boy did I miss the boat on this one. I thought the only way he would stand a chance against Toomey was to become a democrat and I would have bet the farm that would never happen; but it did.
It was time for Sen. Specter to go, but we will miss him. He was a real statesman.

By Alan Foster
Daily American

Pennsylvania's senior senator Arlen Specter got an earful in Somerset Saturday as he answered questions from about 40 residents in Courtroom number one of the Courthouse.

On the completion of Route 219 from Somerset to Maryland Specter was asked if he would actively support finishing the highway. His two-word response, "I will." He said he is very close to becoming chairman of the Senate appropriations committee a post from which he would be in a strong position to help Pennsylvania. "That's a spot senator Byrd has used to have half of West Virginia paved," Specter joked.
Specter was in the area as part of a four-county series of town meetings. He said his number one priority was balancing the budget.

"Somerset must live within its means. The state must live within its means. Only the federal government can print money, and that's wrong," Specter said." I have been blessed with two grandchildren and it is unfair to saddle them with our debt."
He said the Congress is working on balancing the budget in six years and the difference between the Congress and the Clinton administration is timing. Former senator Dole wants the cuts to come evenly and the president has most of the cuts coming in the last two years when he will not be around, even it he is re-elected.

Also on the top of his priority list is crime control. " I think the death penalty is a deterrent, but it must be swift and certain. It now can take up to 20 years to carry out a death sentence. My legislation would reduce the appeal time and the sentence would be carried out about 2 1/2 years from when it is imposed," Specter said. He said a swift punishment provides closure for the victim and does not force the condemned to languish on death row year after year.

On his failed presidential bid he said it allowed him to go beyond Pennsylvania and gain a greater perspective of the problems America faces as a nation. He said that while he differs with Pat Robertson and Ralph Reed he got to know them on a personal level and gained a measure of respect for their positions. He was speaking of his pro-choice stance on the abortion issue, an issue that is "as divisive as any in this country since slavery." He said we must find ways to bring America together on this issue and suggested more information about the consequences of sexual activity and abstinence would be a good place to start.

He said he was surprised at the support he received after he dropped out of the presidential race. "The Wall Street Journal said only Pat Buchanan and Arlen Specter spoke from the heart during the campaign"
On recent events in the Dole campaign, Specter said, "It was an excellent decision, (Dole's resignation from the Senate) it will allow him to speak his own mind and liberate him from DC. Now he can travel America and respond to the people."

When asked about the Simpson verdict he said an event like that does shake your faith in the judicial system, but that it was also educational, and that we should look to find ways to "stop this kind of miscarriage of justice." He was critical of Judge Lance Ito saying he should not have let Jonnie Cochran run wild. It was a shock, a great eye-opener." He elaborated that racism in America is a problem and that there is racial tension and mistrust in the black community. "These days we see a lot of immigrant bashing. I'm sensitive to this, because both of my parents were immigrants." He said immigration has been a strong factor in building this country.

On the recent suicide of naval operations chief Jeremy "Mike" Borda Specter said," It was a total shock. I knew him and he has been before our committee. He was an outstanding individual and I think there is something more to this than we have heard. One of his notes said he did not want to hurt the Navy, but suicide is hardly a way to avoid that."

Specter said he tries to visit all 67 Pennsylvania counties at least once a year and now that his presidential race is over he is going to focus on Pennsylvania, because "there is lots to do here." He will seek re-election in 1998 and would like to serve as long as Strom Thurmond, who has been in the senate for 53 years. Specter, the optimist, said, "America's best days are ahead. We will solve problems that are not yet known."