by TChris

Arlen Specter is irked because he wasn't a part of the "compromise" bill authorizing the military trials of detainees. He always likes to be asked before his party deprives people of their civil rights. As long as he's asked, he'll gladly work to implement his president's plans, whether they involve torture or domestic wiretapping. If he's not made to feel that he's an important part of the process, he whines about the Constitution. Thankfully, Specter is whining now.

President Bush is pushing Congress to put the agreement into law before adjourning for the midterm elections, but Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., said Sunday he "vigorously" disagrees with the habeas corpus provision of the bill. ... "The courts have traditionally been open to make sure that individual rights are protected, and that is fundamental," Specter said on CNN's "Late Edition. "And the Constitution says when you can suspend the writ of habeas corpus, in time of rebellion or invasion. And we don't have either. So that has to be changed, in my opinion."

If Democrats need the cover of Republicans to stand up for the Constitution, Specter is their shield, at least for the moment. But why are we reading about Arlen Specter's opposition, rather than the opposition of Democrats?