| | http://www.jeffjacoby.com/5445/courage-and-the-absence-of-courage
Arlen Specter would never have made it into Profiles in Courage. Unlike the senators described in John F. Kennedy's book -- men who remained true to their principles, even when it meant paying a steep political price -- Specter has never been celebrated for his backbone.
Forty-odd years ago, Specter abandoned the Democratic Party in order to win election to Congress as a Republican; five days ago, he abandoned the Republican Party in order to win re-election as a Democrat. As he announced his defection, Specter all but admitted that he was acting out of naked political expediency. "I have . . . surveyed the sentiments of the Republican Party in Pennsylvania and public opinion polls," he told reporters, "and have found that the prospects for winning a Republican primary are bleak." According to a poll that had been released a few days earlier, only 30 percent of Pennsylvania Republicans were supporting Specter's re-nomination, while 51 percent favored his conservative rival.
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| | Posted 5/3/2009 2:14 PM - 5 Views - 0 eProps - 0 comments
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