This article in The Hill is one of the funniest things I've read in ages. Here's the lede:
Sen. Arlen Specter says he has an agreement with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to become the next chairman of the Judiciary Committee, but three senior Democrats are blocking the deal.
Specter (D-Pa.) has worked diligently behind the scenes to boost his seniority on the Senate Judiciary and Appropriations committees and hopes to settle the issue before the election.
“The arrangement I had with Reid [D-Nev.] is that I would have the same seniority as if I had been elected as a Democrat in 1980,” Specter said in an interview with The Hill. “I would be behind [Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick] Leahy [D-Vt.], and when he moved up to chairman of Appropriations, I would move to chairman of Judiciary.”
For a guy who's known for bragging about what a great laywer he is, Arlen sure is fond of proceeding from false assumptions. His entire statement, delivered in typically pompous fashion, assumes (a) he's going to be reelected--which is looking quite unlikely, (b) Harry Reed is going to be around in 2011 --which is less likely than a snowball fight on the Fourth of July, and (c) that his new party will still be in the majority next year—and that ain't exactly a done deal, either.
There's also a classic "Snarlin' Arlen" anecdote towards the end, so check it all out if you need a good laugh.
(d) and that Harry Reid has actually made this arrangement and/or will actually follow through with it.
ReplyDelete