On Sunday, Pennsylvania Republican Senator Arlen Specter repeated his familiar pattern of feigned independence from the Bush White House. Appearing on CBS' Face the Nation, Specter announced his expectation that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales would resign in the face of a looming no-confidence vote in the Senate.
But as I wrote in February, whether the issue concerns the political firings of U.S. attorneys, the illegal NSA domestic surveillance program, presidential statements or the Valerie Plame leak, Arlen Specter's initial outrage over Bush administration misdeeds inevitably gives way to quiet acquiescence.
While refraining from announcing his own vote on a possible Senate no-confidence vote (as he did earlier on Judiciary Committee subpoenas for Karl Rove and Harriet Miers), Specter declared of Gonzales:

"I think that if and when he sees that coming, that he would prefer to avoid that kind of an historical black mark."

Sadly, Specter's own crystal ball appears to be cracked. While the House has initiated the process for a no-confidence vote on Gonzales, in the Senate Mitch McConnell and other Bush loyalists may prevent such a resolution from coming to the floor. Meanwhile, President Bush on Monday continued to voice his "full confidence" in his Attorney General.
Let's hope that events - and a little backbone - prove Arlen Specter right this time. After all, former Gonzales White House liaison Monica Goodling is set to testify on Wednesday. But if history is any indication, Arlen Specter will allow GonzoGate to remain what President Bush describes as "pure political theater."
For more background on why watching Senator Specter challenge Bush administration wrong-doing is like witnessing a failed rocket launch, see "Arlen Specter's Failure to Launch."