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Will Specter cooperate on Johnsen nomination?

President Obama still doesn’t have a head of the White House Office of Legal Counsel, because Senate Republicans have continually threatened to filibuster of Obama’s nominee, Dawn Johnsen. Johnsen, a fierce critic of the Bush’s abuses of executive power who once stinted as the legal director of NARAL, is anathema to the pro-life, right-wing crowd. Yet it seems mysterious why Senator Arlen Specter, who is purportedly pro-choice and who recently introduced legislation placing limits on executive power, would oppose this otherwise competent and well-qualified nominee.

The left-wing of the Democratic Party is already irritated with Specter and sees this as him showing Obama that no one tells Specter what to do but the polls. Already itching for a primary battle, many progressives are practically daring Specter to vote no for cloture so that they will have even more ammunition to go after him. On the other hand, allowing Johnsen’s nomination to have an up-or-down vote, even if Specter does in the end vote against her nomination, would go a long way in placating some in the base who see Arlen as a DINO (see, previously, RINO).

Obviously, Specter’s support here will be key. We’ll be keeping a close eye to see what he actually does in the days to come.

May 18, 2009 at 8:30 am

--Adam Schwartzbaum

Tags: Arlen Specter, dawn johnsen

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