Senator Arlen cut out of last night’s NYC right-winger confab over by Grand Central, but Rick Santorum was scheduled to speak and did make it. The whole thing was off the record—though nothing shocking was said—so I won’t go into details other than to say, once again, this is a guy we don’t want to lose, if you are pro-marriage and pro-life. There were some protesters outside, urging Santorum to take on Specter. I understand the sentiment, but, that’s not his place—he’s not on the committee. As I noted yesterday, McCain supporting Specter in this fight is no biggie. Sessions, however, not publicly supporting Specter, is a bigger deal, since Sessions is actually on the Judiciary Committee, unlike McCain…or Santorum.
Again, I know there is soreness about Santorum’s support for Specter in the primary, but I’d argue he was doing his team-player thing, which is part of his value. Yeah, I’d love a Sen. Toomey about now. But, life goes on. (I’m not flacking for Santorum, just trying to be realistic.)
And, meanwhile, there are still a few hours before a call is made in this Judiciary chairmanship fight, so maybe make a few calls.
I might add, people who have been with us on the Specter thing have made big headway–that Frist moment on Sunday was a big public milestone, and reflected things I had been hearing for days off the record. Even if Specter becomes chairman, I think conservatives are better off having fought this fight.