Seriously. WTF were they thinking? He's every bit the clownshoes that Santorum is. What's in the water in that state?

You wrote:

But when push comes to shove, he [Specter] has also unflinchingly bowed to an apparent political reality, choosing compromise over confrontation and incremental procedural victories over significant, substantive ones.

"Compromise" is not correct. "Capitulation" is the word you should have meant.

Arlen Specter has been playing "Good Cop" to Bush and Cheney's "Bad Cop" for the past 6 years. It works. The majority of Americans are gullible people who believe everything they are told, as long as the person scamming them wears a suit and doesn't burst out laughing during his little act. Specter feigns outrage at the tactics of the Bush administration; he assures the American public that he will act as their advocate, getting to the bottom of all this rigamarole. The public trusts Specter to do what he says he will do. Unfortunately, the public has the attention span of a gnat, as they are bombarded with what passes for news 24 hours a day. Sure, Specter says he's going to "take aim" at the president. But then Brangelina and TomKat have a baby, Bill Frist postures about flag-burning as if the security of the nation is at stake, a white girl disappears somewhere, a bride bolts, a shark attacks someone, an alligator drags a boy into the water and geez, Israel just started shelling one of those Middle Eastern countries we can't keep straight.

What's a fulltime worker/parent/billpayer/"news" consumer to do?

I'll tell you what they do - they forget about Specter, they forget what Specter was "taking aim" at, and the media doesn't cover it when Specter winks and quietly acquieses to the administration, giving them exactly what they wanted.

That's where the web comes in. We need a "Specter Watch". A blog that keeps track of what Specter says and also keeps track of what Specter actually does. Only two columns are needed. What Specter Says/What Specter Did. All political blogs could link to "Specter Watch" every time Specter claims that goldarnit, he's sick and tired and not gonna take it anymore! "Let's see what Specter will do this time.. and let's take a look at Specter's track record on issues regarding the administration".

I wish I knew how to set up a website. I'd do it myself.

I really, really, really would like to believe that Specter won't cave in to the Bush administration this time, but to hope for such a thing at this point is to cross the line from optimism into blind naivete. It is simply not reasonable, based upon past history, to believe that Specter will ever place principle above his desire not to displease George W. Bush. Time and time again, he responds to each new administration outrage at first by talking tough, but in the end he always backs down. If Bush were to declare martial law and announce that he was disbanding the other two branches of the federal government, Specter would probably complain for about 15 minutes and then clean out his desk. His spine is made of Jello.

Specter reminds me of John McCain, all talk until push comes to shove, then they both cave into the right wing.

They care more about keeping their Senate seat, than that of the country or the constitution.

They are both spinless

Wait a minute. Spector shows signs of not being an ideologue because he played squash with Carl Levin? What on earth does that prove? Unless there's some Republican Senators Code that one can't play any game or engage in any sport with the opposite side.

And one of his aides now works for a Democrat? Aren't we scraping the barrel for

proof of--well, what exactly? That he's nice to Democracts and hasn't had his staffers take an oath of lifelong aversion to Democrats? Next we'll hear that he'd traded fashion tips with Hillary Clinton, or shared a hot dog with Chuck Schumer or bummed a smoke from Barney Frank.

Maybe leave the Entire Congress and Senate in Foot Lockers for a decade or so to escape the reality of his Service to uphold the LAW!

No 'ramblin' jack eliot' here, just a rememberence of the history of Arlen Specter as a Prosecutor and where the MONEY and POWER come from.

DID THEY FIND THE BODY?

Honestly, I can't believe you bothered to print this article. No offense, but there is utterly no hope that Specter will stand up to the "Spectre" administration. This has become so clear that there is simply no point discussing it.

Specter is the worst kind of wimp, i.e., the kind who talks tough and then doesn't have the pride to even pretent he ever meant it. 100% joke.

Can PA start a recall? Maybe a PA Senator two-fer recall?

You think you have problems with the Bush administration, in Britain we would all like to know why our Prime Minister seems intent on taking orders from the White House when he is paid to represent the interests of the British people.

If these two are ever brought to trial for their crimes it will yake years just to read the list of charges.

I don't really see why everyone is so upset about Specter like he is the devil or something.

He seems to be a more traditional type of Senator and I wish there were more of them. And good for him if he is interested in "compromise."

snip from article> "For Specter, "compromise" has become another term for victory, not defeat. "

That's one thing a Republic is supposed to entail at a fundamental level... a compromise between the majority and the minority.

Alot of people accused Moynihan of getting nothing done and being more interested in process. Good for him, he was a great Senator in the good tradition and I wish there were more like him. I doubt he would fare so well with the current Bush administration either.

The problem really is that, although traditional Senators might be interested in compromising on an issue to give benefit to both sides, the Bush administration isn't interested in compromise at all.

Really, the letters on here sound like a bunch of bitter lunatics. Believe me, I'm bitter about Bush too but focusing anger on Specter is kind of pointless, I mean, he is a REPUBLICAN, what do you expect? But I don't think he is a bad person and I think he is dealing with alot of mess and frustration caused by Bush et al. I think he has for a long time had the interests of Pennsylvania at heart, rather than the interests of some elite group, so whoever posted that crap about Pennsylvania voters being crazy or whatever... you don't know what you are talking about, you sound stupid, you don't understand complexity, and Pennsylvania is doing quite fine all things considered. Pennsyvania is a moderate state and did vote blue in the last presidential election. Specter is not the same as Santorum and Santorum could well be on his way out.

Ok - whatever, my basic opinion is that Specter is not the evil person everyone seems to be making him out to be. Sorry if you are frustrated that Democrats lost. Try taking your anger out on a fucking Democrat for having no plan.