Several Christian groups announced Friday that they would conduct a "pray-in" to protest the possible appointment of Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Arlen Specter to chair the Senate Judiciary Committee. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) is expected to decide who will succeed Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) as head of the panel.
Specter faces growing opposition from conservatives determined to keep him from ascending to chairmanship of the committee that would handle any new nominations President Bush makes to the U.S. Supreme Court, because Specter supports abortion rights.
"We urge people to contact Senator Frist and let him know that the president needs a loyal man at the helm of the Judiciary Committee, and that man is not Senator Specter," Rev. Pat Mahoney, director of the Christian Defense Coalition, said in a statement.
Specter, whose support of abortion rights was already well known, angered conservatives this week when he appeared to be delivering a warning to President Bush about possible Supreme Court nominations during a second Bush term.
On Wednesday, following the reelection of President Bush, Specter warned President Bush against choosing future Supreme Court nominees who would seek to overturn abortion laws or would be too conservative to be confirmed.
"When you talk about judges who would change the right of a woman to choose, overturn Roe v. Wade, I think that is unlikely," the Houston Chronicle quoted Specter as saying.
"The president is well aware of what happened when a bunch of his nominees were sent up, with the filibuster...and I would expect the president to be mindful of the considerations which I am mentioning," the Chronicle quoted him as saying.
However, on Thursday Specter refuted these remarks, saying, "Contrary to press accounts, I did not warn the president about anything and was very respectful of his constitutional authority on the appointment of federal judges.
"As the record shows, I have supported every one of President Bush's nominees in the Judiciary Committee and on the Senate floor. I have never and would never apply any litmus test on the abortion issue..." Specter added.
In an interview with CNSNews.com, Mahoney said Evangelicals, pro-family and pro-life groups are not comfortable with Specter chairing the Judiciary because the confirmation of judges is a key component to the Christian social agenda.
"Senator Specter has said in the past many of the comments that he made yesterday before his retraction. I think it's clear to all of us involved that Senator Specter just sent out that news release to save his job as chairperson of the head of Judiciary," said Mahoney.
"Senator Specter cannot be the Chair of Judiciary Committee. There's no trust. There's no confidence. He has burned a bridge which cannot be repaired," he said.
"You can't undo in one news release years and years of comments and things that he has said all along in lectures, to media, on radio shows. It's clear that Senator Specter believes that Roe v. Wade is a federal part of law and must never be overturned,"
Mahoney continued.
Mahoney also told CNSNews.com that outside of abortion and family issues, the number three issue Christians are concerned with is activist judges, even though the press hasn't picked up on it.
Dr. James Dobson, founder and chairman of Focus on the Family, also expressed opposition to Specter. In a statement issued Thursday regarding Specter's first set of comments, Dobson accused Specter of "political bullying" and "arrogant grandstanding."
Christopher Norfleet of Focus on the Family told CNSNews.com on Friday that Dobson was sticking by his statements even after reading the new comments by Specter.
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