The Supreme Court and Senator Arlen Specter

Joe Gandelman at the Moderate Voice tells us this morning that Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter has warned the Bush administration not to nominate Supreme Court nominees who seek to axe abortion rights. As a result Senator Specter may get the axe.

And Specter should brace himself. Note these comments from another Republican on the committee (we have boldfaced the interesting part of the quote):

Wednesday about Specter's impending chairmanship, another Republican on the panel, Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, did not offer a ringing endorsement.

"We'll have to see where he stands," said Cornyn, a close friend of Bush who worked to get all of the president's nominees through the Senate. "I'm hoping that he will stand behind the president's nominees. I'm intending to sit down and discuss with him how things are going to work. We want to know what he's going do and how things are going to work."

Gandelman says this does not bode well for Specter's future.

So he's a classic case of someone who does not take a strict party line. Will that be tolerated? Unlikely in this case, since GOPers rightfully consider Supreme Court nominations the prize plum of the Bush victory. On the other hand, Specter is no political lightweight: he won re-election Tuesday by an 11-point margin by getting moderate Republicans and ticket-splitting Democrats votes. Pennsylvania chose Democrat John Kerry over Bush.

Another indication that the wingnuts think they have the upper hand and will take no prisoners.