Some University professors are saying that the Senate's recent rejection of Dr. Henry Foster as Surgeon General had more to do with politics than morality.
"Senators Phil Gramm and Robert Dole played this nomination more like the first Republican primary," said Jerome Culp, a professor at the law school. "This was a case of presidential politics," he said.
Professor John Aldrich, chair of the political science department, said that this decision was simply politics as usual. "Dole and Gramm saw this as an opportunity to draw attention to their candidacies," he said. "They used this as a way to highlight their differences with Clinton over issues such as abortion."
Aldrich also said that the rejection could have stemmed from Republican bitterness toward actions of the formerly Democratic congress. "This could serve as retribution for foiled Republican nominations such as [Robert] Bork," he said. He added that this rejection could also make up for the difficulty that Democrats created for Republicans during the nomination of Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court.
But Aldrich said that some of the blame for the failure of Foster's nomination must rest with the Clinton administration. . "If they had done their homework properly, the nomination might have gone through," he said. "They should never have been surprised with anything in Foster's record."
John Brehm, an assistant professor of political science, agreed that had Clinton been better prepared, he could have won Foster's confirmation. Because of the failure of this nomination, Brehm said he doubted if Clinton could succeed with a pro-choice advocate for his next nominee.
"But despite playing a role, the abortion issue was not the most significant part of the question," he said. "This was an opportunity for Gramm and Dole to make themselves look more impressive in the nomination process."
Dole and Gramm did not benefit equally from the nomination process, however, said Aldrich. "This nomination benefited Dole in his position with party conservatives more than it did Gramm," he said. Because of that, he said, Dole is in a better position to receive the Republican nomination.
Aldrich added that Clinton might gain something from the experience. "Dole's move toward the conservatives does leave the center more open for Clinton in the general election," he said. "This nomination will allow Clinton to argue that the presumptive majority in the Senate was defeated by a minority."
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