Open Left

Here's a partial list of who's interests are served

By not circumventing the Senate seniority system.

The most senior three Senate Democrats without a chairmanship are Barbara Mikulski, Russ Feingold, and Patty Murray, in that order.

Then you have the Senators he moved immediately ahead of on the powerful Judiciary and Appropriations committees: Harkin and Mikulski on Appropriations and Kohl, Feinstein, and Feingold on Judiciary.  Then, you have Kohl, Akaka, and Boxer, who have chair committees where Specter would have outranked them.

Then, you have the Senators like Dorgan (Indian Affairs), Landrieu (Small Business), or Kent Conrad (Budget) who don't want Specter to start a game of musical chairs, especially if it makes them chairless.

Then, you have the some Senators who might not like Specter for pure ideological or partisan reasons.

Of course, my idea of compromise is to give Specter Veteran Affairs and move Akaka to Homeland Security while kicking Lieberman out, because screwing with the perfidious Joe gives me more pleasure than stripping Specter of seniority.  

Things You Don't Talk About in Polite Company: Religion, Politics, the Occasional Intersection of Both

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by: Anthony de Jesus @ Fri May 08, 2009 at 00:02:40 AM CDT