"Senator Specter, President Obama would like a word with you on line one."

Should be an interesting monday morning.

What's the surprise here? This is classic Arlen Specter.

He's just a slightly less objectionable version of Joe the Scmoe Lieberman. It's all about him. Always has been. Always will be. For now, we take all the votes he'll give us and then dump him in the primary next year.

There's only one worse thing that to have Arlen Specter be your enemy and that's to be his alleged friend.

Didn't the WSJ reporters get that quote from the White House press office (and therefore, indirectly, from the president himself)? How ridiculously stupid.

As a Pennsylvania resident, Specter's sudden conversion didn't phase me in the least. I still will not vote for him. I have a problem with people who switch party loyalties as a survival instinct and not as a matter of principle. It's rather pathetic, especially for someone of Specter's tenure and age.

Numbers in Congress are important to me, but so is honest and reputable representation. I know I won't find that in the Republican Party's nominee, and if Specter's nominated by the Democrats - and I do say if - I will write in someone's name.

I don't expect Obama to do anything in response to Specter pissing on his shoes. He refused to do anything to Lieberman, and Joe's various campaign statements about Obama—not to mention appearing at the GOP convention—were more egregious than what Arlen's pulled so far.

Pennsylvania Democrats are another matter. I can't for the life of me think why the Dems in that state would go for a guy who's just told them in plain, simple language that they can kiss his ass and like it.

When you factor in Senate Judiciary Committee Rule IV into the equation, I am beginning to see only disadvantages to Specter's defection.

When I saw Specter today my first thought was that he had just signed his own political death warrant.

His chance to run as a repub is over, not that that's much of a loss since he would have lost to Toomey, but his shot at winning a Dem primary, even if the "machine" voices their support for him, is now seriously diminished.

If he does not support EFCA the unions will not support him, and if he votes against health care if it has a public plan, which Obama has just said is an essential component, than any support he gets from that quarter will be strictly pro forma. Who does he think his constituency is?

Say good night, Arlen.

It seems Specter wasn't thought of too highly in the repuglican caucus he left and in less than a week he's distanced himself from the Democrat caucus he asked to join. Sounds like he should have declared himself an Independent. But his chances of winning his seat in 2010 as an Independent are next to impossible. I think someone needs to have a Come-to-Jesus meeting with him and explain the facts plain and simple - if you want to caucus with the Democrats, then act like one.

yeeeeeeeeeeeeehawwwwwwwwww! here comes the primaries!
Strange guy Arlen Specter. he switches to a party he was vociferously criticizing just a few days before to hold onto his senate seat but now he is too principled to vote for bills that would insure he has no primary challenge? really strange.
Where can i donate to potential challengers? he should know that liberals don't follow they leaders everywhere. Pres Obama, vice Pres Biden and Sen Reid have made promises? well none of them gets to vote in Pennsylvania.

Obamaa and Reid have given this puke a license to do whatever he wants. They got nothing, nothing in return.
They are going to make it difficult for primary challengers to unseat this pos while he continues his conservative enabling ways. What fools.

The other problem with this political comedy is that it reveals how little difference there is between the two flavors of the one, ruling Conservative Neoliberal party.

P.S. Thank God PA has a sore loser law so this asshole can't pull a Lieberman if he loses the primary. You know he would if he could.

To be fair, I think you are taking it out of context. The headline is a little misleading also.

He was asked about something he supposedly said, and denied he had said it.

That's different than what it first appears to be -- a brazen thumbing his nose at the party.

"I did not say ..." =/= "I will be disloyal".

Arlen wants to maintain an image of independence. He may have said that but is now embarassed about it. Both the leaked phrase and his denial end up looking bad.

Sorry, this one is a little too cheap and "gotcha" for my tastes.

I was skeptical of the "loyal Democrat" quote when it first appeared.

It would be strange to say that 5 minutes after joining a party. It's more believable that he didn't say that.

Further comments from Specter: "I did not say I would be honest, or predictable, or loyal, or humble about my tremendous intelligence, natural charisma or chameleon-like ability to stay relevant in politically uncertain times."

Specter was asked about two quotes attributed to him: 1) "I am a loyal Democrat," reported in the Wall Street Journal; and 2) "I will support your agenda" attributed to White House sources. Notice that he only denies the former. Does anyone really think that the Wall Street Journal can be trusted for accuracy?

What I infer is that Arlen Specter did promise to support the President's agenda overall but did not promise to fall in line with party leadership on every issue. Is this anything other than what we'd expect from the independent-minded Specter?

I think we really need to wait to see whether Specter keeps to his promise to support the President's agenda before passing judgment on him.