Oct 31, 2004 By Steve Ferris 3 min read

Incumbent U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter said he would have lost the primary election without President Bush’s support, and he will continue to support the president. However, he said the seniority he has gained from serving 24 years in the chamber and his moderate stance on issues are the “essence” of his campaign for re-election against Democratic challenger Joe Hoeffel, a congressman from Montgomery County.

Specter responded to questions about domestic and foreign policies at a recent meeting with the Herald-Standard editorial board.

Specter said he has called for correcting the intelligence gathering and reporting failures identified in the report into the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Without accurate intelligence, there can be no justification for war, Specter said.

He said he was one of only 14 senators to vote for a bill that would have required that intelligence agencies and the Bush administration prove there was an imminent threat to the country before going to war.

Intelligence has improved since 9-11, but not enough, Specter said.

He said one person should be in charge of all U.S. intelligence efforts.

“We must correct deficiencies in CIA intelligence,” Specter said.

Former CIA director George Tenet assured the president that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, and Secretary of State Colin Powell supported a military strike after reviewing the CIA’s evidence, Specter said.

“(Powell) has since said they didn’t level with him,” Specter said. “We didn’t get good intelligence.”

Since the intelligence problems have been identified, he said he knows now that his vote for military action in Iraq was the wrong thing to do.

He said Hoeffel and presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry also voted for military action, but then voted against funding to support those troops.

“I don’t understand that,” Specter said.

In response to questions about troop strength in Iraq, Specter said military commanders should determine how many U.S. soldiers are needed, and he supports training Iraq’s military and the upcoming free elections.

On the domestic front, Specter said he is not sure if tax cuts help spur the economy, and he thought the $1.6 trillion tax cut Bush proposed in 2001 was too steep.

He said Bush inherited a recession that the country was heading into that year, and that federal spending in the wake of Sept. 11, military costs in Iraq and high fuel prices are all affecting the economy.

Specter said he voted for a balanced budget bill, but it was narrowly defeated.

He said he supports expanded child tax credits, tax cuts for low-income families and eliminating the “marriage tax.”

As for his relationship with the president, Specter said he would not have won the Republican primary over Pat Toomey without Bush’s help.

“The president helped me a lot. I couldn’t have won without him. I’m on the ballot to help him,” Specter said. “I have a good relationship with him.”

He said he votes with Democrats on some issues, and Bush understands that he has his constituents in mind when he casts his votes.

“He understands that I answer to 12 million Pennsylvania voters,” Specter said.

Specter said he voted for the federal judges that Clinton nominated, and the Senate has confirmed all the judges that he and Sen. Rick Santorum, a fellow Republican, have supported.

“I’ve been able to work with Democrats. That’s what got me in trouble in the primary,” Specter said.

He said the Senate is a “tough place,” but it unites when it addresses issues that affect the entire country.