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Sen. Arlen Specter at 75 in Spotlight Again
 Aug.
11, 2005 - When U.S. Supreme Court nominee John Roberts goes before the
U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee for his confirmation hearings next
month, another man - a senior citizen - will also be on center stage, Republican Senator
Arlen Specter, 75, the panel's chairman. Senator Specter is also at the
center of another debate in Washington -- over embryonic stem cell
research. It is a topic close to his heart as he battles late-stage
Hodgkin's Lymphoma, a form of cancer. Amy Katz of the Voice of America
takes a closer look at the man and his mission.
By
Amy Katz
 Arlen
Specter is 75-years-old and has been a U.S. senator for 25 of those
years. And despite his current battle with cancer, he is constantly on
the go, from hearings and press conferences to meetings at the White
House and the occasional sporting event.
He says he needs to stay busy and feels compelled
to push himself. "If I don't push myself to the limit, and I have some
spare time and some spare thinking room, I start to think about myself.
And I'd rather work than think about myself."
Some have wondered whether he is pushing himself
too hard, but he says work is the best thing he can do. He will soon
lead the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee John Roberts,
in his role as Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He is also
managing some of the most contentious issues facing the U.S. Congress.
Among them: funding for federal health care
programs; and rewriting the Patriot Act -- anti-terrorism legislation
enacted in the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks against
the U.S.
In addition, there is an intensely personal piece of legislation Senator
Specter is working on. It would lift a U.S. ban on federal funding for
embryonic stem cell research. He says, not only would such research help
others, but it might have helped him. "They might well have found a
prevention so that Arlen Specter didn't get Hodgkin's lymphoma cancer."
Senator Specter wants government funding for
research on stem cells from embryos that fertility clinics would
otherwise discard. Some of his fellow Republicans says that is the
destruction of a potential life.
Senator Specter freely admits that is not what he's
worried about right now, as was recently in evidence during this
exchange with Senator Sam Brownback on the ABC News broadcast, "This
Week with George Stephanopoulos." Senator Brownback asks him, "When did
your life start?" Senator Specter answers, "Well Sam, I'm a lot more
concerned at this point about when my life is going to end."
Senator Specter is fighting the exhaustion that
comes with his chemotherapy treatments and says he is trying now to
focus on life. He carries an hourglass with him, for people with
life-threatening diseases who are still waiting for cures. It also
reminds him of how much he still wants to do. Senator Specter further
explains, "When you look at an hour glass, there's a depiction of
mortality. We're all here for a limited period of time."
Senator Specter's goal is to make every minute
count.
Videos of the interview by Amy Katz
view Arlen Specter report / Real
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view Arlen Specter report / Real
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view Arlen Specter report / Real dialup
Voice of America –
Click Here
More coverage of the nomination of John Roberts –
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