Arlen Specter Quotes

To put more American personnel in harm's way without a realistic chance for success is something I'm not in favor of. And a realistic chance for success depends upon having the Iraqis with the will and the ability to fulfill their share of the bargain, and so far they have not.

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

There is no higher value in our society than integrity.

The fundamental purpose of government is to protect its citizens.

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

No senator's vote, except for the declaration of war or the authorization for the use of force, is more important than the confirmation of a nominee for the Supreme Court for a lifetime appointment.

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

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

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

If you can get people to laugh, you can get people to listen.

My change in party will enable me to be re-elected.

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.

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

We're all looking for a plan that will work. The current plan is not working, and 21,500 additional troops -- it's a snowball in July. It's not going to work.

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

Big money is ruining the political system.

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

It has been my experience that the hearings are really, in effect, a subtle minuet, with the nominee answering as many questions as he thinks necessary in order to be confirmed.

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

If we had pursued the war on cancer which President Nixon declared in 1970, Jack Kemp might be alive today.

The extremists took over the primary process.

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.

Today the Internal Revenue Code constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. A flat tax would be an enormous step forward.

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.

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

I really do not make deals.

Cannibals are devouring senators.

Stability means respecting precedents.

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

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

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

Resolutions are flying like snowflakes around here.

Was the Vietnam conflict a war which should have, as a matter of constitutional law, required a declaration of war by Congress?

It so happens that I'm pro choice.

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.

I served as Chairman of the Intelligence Committee. Let me tell you, it's tough to find out what the CIA is doing. They led us astray on the weapons of mass destruction that they said Saddam Hussein found. We sent out Collin Powell, Secretary of State, former National Security Counselor, chief of staff, four star general, couldn't find it out. I'd be reluctant to cut into term limits. I think if the voters would become informed and aroused, they could impose the proper limits on the guys who ought to be out.

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

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.

It costs about $27 million to win a seat in the United States Senate, so when you win one, you like to sit down.