Arlen specter quotes

We are not utilizing the Iraqi oil for U.S. purposes. We are not asking that the Iraqi oil be used to pay our military expenses. We are asking only that the Iraqi oil be used to rebuild Iraq - that is, to rebuild Iraq for the Iraqi people.

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

When I'm asked about legacy, I say it's too early to talk about legacy.

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.

We will submit legislation to the United States Senate which will...authorize the Congress to undertake judicial review of those signing statements with the view to having the president's acts declared unconstitutional.

Stability means respecting precedents.

I beat a brain tumor.

Heart disease continues to be the number one killer; cancer, the number 2 killer, not far behind. The tragic aspect of these deadly diseases is that they could all be cured, I do believe, if we had sufficient funding.

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

Lawyers advocate more so than state their own positions.

Look, the president can discharge all 93 U.S. attorneys for no reason at all, but not for a bad reason.

My father was an immigrant who literally walked across Europe to get out of Russia. He fought in World War I. He was wounded in action. My father was a great success even though he never had money. He was a very determined man, a great role model.

When the students are occupied, they're not juvenile delinquents. I believe that education is a capital investment.

I am very much opposed to abortion personally. But I don't think it is the government's rule.

'Never give in' was my mindset.

The fundamental purpose of government is to protect its citizens.

Do you believe today that the right to privacy does exist in the Constitution?

There's nothing more important than our good health - that's our principal capital asset.

I knew people were going to see me see deteriorate before their eyes.

The passengers and crew of United Airlines Flight 93, recognizing the potential danger that the aircraft they were aboard posed to large numbers of innocent Americans, American institutions, and the symbols of American democracy, took heroic and noble action to ensure that the aircraft they were aboard could not be used as a weapon.

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

The solicitor general is sometimes referred to as the 10th Supreme Court justice - a pretty important position.

Neither this nation nor this party can afford a candidate so captive to the demands of the intolerant right that we end up re-electing a president of the incompetent left.

I do come from a strong family.

It so happens that I'm pro choice.

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

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.

If enough people would come out the right wing, the extremists couldn't dominate.

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.

What I would ask the leaders to do is to better understand the American people. I would insist that the leaders have town meetings and meet the people and listen to them and find out what is on their minds.

There are conspiracies all over the Senate floor on any day!

When the president acts in absence of a congressional grant of authority, he can rely only upon his own independent powers. When the president takes measures incompatible with the express or implied will of Congress, his power is at its lowest ebb.

If you are going to have to play defense all the time, you cannot have the kind of ingenuity, assertiveness, independence, and intelligence which is what has made our country strong.

The Supreme Court's 5-4 decision rejected Congress' findings and its method of reasoning, .. Is there any real justification for the court's denigrating Congress' 'method of reasoning'?.

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

I have not taken a position on that nuclear option. My view is I'm not going to do anything until I come to that bridge. I'm not going to jump off the bridge until I come to it

I'd make - before I'd elect somebody - I'd make him do town meetings and face the people and then I would insist that the person not run on a platform of no compromising. The meaningful thing that the leaders could do would be to be dedicated to a discussion across the isle, to vote their consciences and not to follow the strict party line. I think that would lead to sensible decisions.

I think a public official ought to follow his conscience as to what is in the public interest, not what will protect his job.

I just was not going to subject my record to the bleak prospects of a primary election.

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

How many members of Congress go face the people in a town meeting and are prepared to answer questions from the floor. That to me is the real litmus test.

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

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

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.

Americans' addiction to sports, with the NFL at the top, is based on the excitement generated by the potential for the unexpected great play which can only happen with honest competition from great athletes.

I must say I am not pleased to have to arrange the Senate schedule around the availability of Senators who are running for President.

The best way to reduce the cost of medical care is to reduce the illness.

I really do not make deals.

I don't expect people to agree with all my votes.

Whatever my party affiliation, I will continue to be guided by President Kennedy's statement that sometimes party asks too much.

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

It is with unwelcome frequency that I find myself the deciding vote.

I've been in a lot of elections.

We have people there who do have substantial wisdom and substantial experience. And if they were confident enough to express their own views, that they wouldn't be bushwhacked by the party for casting a single vote like Bob Bennett was or like I was, they'd be willing to speak up and they'd be willing to speak their consciences and put their ideas on the line. But right now, there is timidity, there is fear that if they do that a single votes gonna cost them their job and they're not willing to make that kind of a sacrifice and they're not enough with the people.

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.

It's been a great privilege to serve the people of Pennsylvania.

I think it's scandalous that we haven't done more to cure cancer.

You know, a statesman is a dead politician.

Cannibals are devouring senators.

As a matter of traditional and sound constitutional doctrine, an amendment to the Constitution should be the last resort when all other measures have proved inadequate.

There is no higher value in our society than integrity.

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.

There is just no sensible, logical reason why we would not make use of stem cell research.

The extremists took over the primary process.

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

If we had pursued what President Nixon declared in 1970 as the war on cancer, we would have cured many strains. I think Jack Kemp would be alive today. And that research has saved or prolonged many lives, including mine.

Resolutions are flying like snowflakes around here.

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

I think my independence was a big help to getting Judges Roberts and Alito confirmed, and I think that's recognized.

I am opposed to anybody making a decision for you or me or anybody else about what health care plan we should have.

We don't need holy wars. What we need is tolerance and brotherhood and simple humanity.

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

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

My definition of winning at squash is playing and surviving, and I've never lost a match.

The essence of a democracy is a free electorate.

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.

I would suggest respectfully to the president that he is not the sole decider. The decider is a shared and joint responsibility.

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

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

I've never walked out of a room and had a disagreement as to what was said.

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

As I think through the issue of funding the rebuilding of Iraq, I think about the analogy of a bankruptcy proceeding. There is no doubt that Iraq as a country is bankrupt.

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.

The Republican Party has moved so far to the right, you can't recognize Mitt Romney. What Mitt Romney will appear in October? Mitt Romney has changed positions more often than a pornographic movie queen.

Big money is ruining the political system.

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

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

Effective security measures do not come cheap.

Pennsylvania is a very tough state; people don't last long in Pennsylvania politics.

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.

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.

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

I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans.

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