NYT: “Under Fire, Specter Gets Only Tepid White House Support”:
Mr. McClellan, the White House spokesman, cited Mr. Rove’s comments today and emphasized that Mr. Specter had given assurances that judicial nominees would get “up or down votes” rather than be stymied by filibusters. But Mr. McClellan, given the opportunity, did not offer a ringing endorsement for Mr. Specter, who has also annoyed the White House by differing with some of President Bush’s anti-terrorism tactics.
Should Mr. Specter be denied the chairmanship, Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona would be next in line. But Mr. Specter still seems to have a good chance of winning the chairmanship given the Senate’s traditional respect for seniority.