A Man True To Himself...But Who Else?

The Democrats are riding high. Maybe too high. If they take a fall you'll hear the thump throughout the world.

Obama has received high marks for his first 100 days. Even I will give him between a C and a C+. Al Franken will take the open Minnesota Senate seat in short order and Arlen Specter has switched parties. The Democrats will have the crucial filibuster proof 60 seats. The Republicans continue to bluster and fumble. The country will be at the mercy of the Democratic agenda. What I'm unsure of is if it's Obama's agenda or the Emanuel/Pelosi/Reid agenda. That does worry me for there are differences.

The euphoria may be short lived. Until the Republicans get their act together it matters little they still have centrist/mavericks among their numbers: Susan Collins and Olympia Snow of Maine, George Voinovich, Ohio and of course maverick in chief John McCain. I do give them credit for party loyalty. There will never be change if every one defects.

On the Democratic side, however, you have the Blue Dogs, Joe Lieberman and now Arlen Specter. None of their votes can be guaranteed.

Switching parties is nothing new. In some respects I admire Specter's candor in stating that he knows he'd have a tough Republican primary challenge from Representative Pat Toomey. Spector beat Toomey in 2004 by a mere 2%.

One would have to consider his age. Seventy eight to Toomey's forty seven. And his health - two bouts with Hodgkins disease in 2005 and again in 2008. Running again in another year may be moot.

What bothers me most about Mr. Specter's move is one statement he made, "I am not prepared to have my 29 years record in the United States Senate decided by the Pennsylvania Republican primary."

That is about as self-serving a statement as can be made. It will be interesting to see how the people of Pennsylvania feel.