Arlen Specter Matt Quotations

I have felt that this is a matter that ought to be undertaken with the federal government behind these kinds of prosecutions. It is a signal to the haters in America.

We are proceeding in a matter of the utmost, utmost gravity -- the potential for impeachment of the president of the United States -- and I think American people will demand and are entitled to that kind of bipartisanship,

The American people are entitled to some answers, ... It is not a matter of attaching blame. It is a matter of correcting errors so that we don't have a repetition of 9/11.

Terrorism remains the No. 1 problem in the United States today. It is not a matter of attaching blame, it is a matter of correcting any errors so that we don't have a repetition of 9/11. If there is intelligence available, it ought to be shared.

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.

I've been searching for a way that we might have President Clinton's side of the matter in a professional way, and I'm continuing to explore that. The committee is not disposed to inviting him because of the sensitivity of inviting a former president and the potential for a circus-like atmosphere,

We have a major, major problem on our hands, ... It is a matter of very, very substantial urgency.

What assurances can you give the Senate and the American people that you will be independent, if confirmed, and not give President Bush any special deference on any matter involving him which might come before the court?

This is a matter that requires congressional analysis, ... wise, appropriate taking of private property.

If there are back-room assurances and if there are back-room deals ... I think that's a matter that ought to be known by the Judiciary Committee and the American people,

If there are backroom assurances and if there are backroom deals and if there is something which bears upon a precondition as to how a nominee is going to vote, I think that's a matter that ought to be known.

I think it's more a matter for them than us because we've got ... a lot of matters which take precedence over this for our own time,

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.

He will enforce the laws, no matter what his personal opinion may be.

There is no firmly established rule as to how much a nominee must say to be confirmed, ... While I personally consider it inappropriate to ask a nominee how he would vote on a specific matter likely to come before the court, senators may ask whatever they choose and the nominee is similarly free to respond as he chooses.