Regarding Specter: "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer."

[Cyrano]

Specter has done nothing more than virtually every other politician will do. He did what was necessary to remain an employed politician.

There are perhaps a handful of people I can think of who wouldn't sell their souls or eat their own children in order to remain in office. Ted Kennedy comes to mind, as does Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Barack Obama, and a handful of others.

Will Specter be another pain in the ass like Lieberman? Who knows. But better to have him in our big tent than in the Republican pup tent. And better to have him in a position where he can be controlled, to some degree, by chairmanship assignments and other perks.

Hopefully, after the next election or two, we'll have enough Dem Senators so that we can put Lieberman and Specter in a rowboat and send them out to go fishing. (Strike up "The Godfather" theme music.)