Top Items:
Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
Specter To Switch Parties — Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter will switch his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat and announced today that he will run in 2010 as a Democrat, according to a statement he released this morning. — Specter's decision would give Democrats …
Discussion:
The New Ledger, Politics Daily, Washington Monthly, MSNBC, Townhall.com, Balloon Juice, Crooks and Liars, Commentary, ONTD: Politics, Daily Kos, The Atlantic Politics Channel, Grist, The Other McCain, Guardian, Fox News, Sister Toldjah, Raw Story, PERRspectives, Whiskey Fire, The Reaction, FiveThirtyEight, Flopping Aces, QandO, Wonk Room, The Anonymous Liberal, The Sideshow, D-Day, The Moderate Voice, Outside The Beltway, Taegan Goddard's …, Hot Air, Senate Guru, LewRockwell.com Blog, Real Clear Politics, TVNewser, Anonymous Is A Woman, Weekly Standard, Climate Progress, MyDD, Clusterstock, No More Mister Nice Blog, Greg's Opinion, MoJo Blog Posts and Gateway Pundit
RELATED:
PoliticsPA:
Statement by Senator Arlen Specter — I have been a Republican since 1966. I have been working extremely hard for the Party, for its candidates and for the ideals of a Republican Party whose tent is big enough to welcome diverse points of view. While I have been comfortable being a Republican, my Party has not defined who I am.
Discussion:
NPR Blogs, The Moderate Voice, The Atlantic Politics Channel, George's Bottom Line, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, Washington Monthly, The Daily Dish, Ben Smith's Blog, Time, Reason, Newsweek Blogs, TPMDC, Political Punch, Firedoglake, Brendan Calling, Washington Times, ONTD: Politics, TRAIL BLAZERS, Open Left, Open Congress and BizzyBlog
CNN:
Sen. Arlen Specter to become Democrat — WASHINGTON (CNN) — Veteran Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter told colleagues Tuesday that he switched from the Republican to the Democratic Party, Sen. Harry Reid says. — The Specter party switch would give Democrats a filibuster-proof Senate majority …
Carl Hulse / The Caucus:
Specter To Switch Parties — Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania said on Tuesday he would switch to the Democratic party, presenting Democrats with a possible 60th vote and the power to break Senate filibusters as they try to advance the Obama administration's new agenda.
Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:
Specter switching parties — A source involved in the talks confirms that Senator Arlen Specter will switch to the Democratic Party, a dramatic move putting the Democrats within reach of two votes in the Senate. — The move stands to put the White House's agenda on a fast-track …
Discussion:
The Huffington Post
The Politico:
Specter to switch to Democratic Party — Republican Sen. Arlen Specter has decided to switch parties and become a Democrat, stunning his GOP colleagues in the Senate while pushing Democrats and President Barack Obama one step closer to unfettered power in Washington.
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Specter move caught GOP leaders by surprise — Senate Republican leaders said they had received no heads-up from Sen. Arlen Specter (Pa.) about his decision to leave the Republican Party and run for reelection as a Democrat. — Specter told Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) …
Discussion:
The Politico
Jonathan Cohn / The New Republic:
What a Specter Shift Means—and Doesn't Mean — A little while ago, my colleague Mike Crowley heard from sources that Arlen Specter is leaving the Republican Party. And I see now that the Washington Post is reporting it, as well. But the headline currently on the Post home page …
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Specter courts conservatives in Pa. rematch — Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) has been laying the groundwork for a grudge rematch against former Rep. Pat Toomey since 2004, when Specter almost lost his seat to the conservative firebrand. — Conservative leaders say that Specter's relationship …
Michelle Malkin:
Arlen Specter makes it official; Flashback: Specter's denial — Well, it appears that the head of the Turncoat Caucus is finally making it official. Arlen Specter, we have just 10 words for you: — Don't let the door hit you on the way out. … The readers at Human Events give Specter a nice send-off.
David Weigel / The Washington Independent:
Club for Growth Speechless on Specter Switch
Club for Growth Speechless on Specter Switch
Discussion:
HorsesAss.Org
Ross Douthat / New York Times:
Cheney for President — Watching Dick Cheney defend …
Cheney for President — Watching Dick Cheney defend …
Discussion:
CBS News, Townhall.com, The Daily Dish, Matthew Yglesias, The Huffington Post, The Atlantic Politics Channel, Eunomia, The Washington Independent, The American Scene, Michael Calderone's Blog, Gawker, Politics Daily, The League of Ordinary …, ATTACKERMAN, No More Mister Nice Blog and Neptunus Lex
Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:
Steele: Specter move not ‘based on principles of any kind’
Steele: Specter move not ‘based on principles of any kind’
Discussion:
On Deadline
Donald G. McNeil Jr / New York Times:
With Swine Flu Cases Rising, Borders Are Tightened — Countries around the world began tightening their border and immigration controls Tuesday as the number of confirmed cases of swine flu continued to rise. — The number of deaths believed attributable to swine flu climbed to as many as 152 …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Associated Press, David Rothkopf, Group News Blog, The Hill, The Lede, The Caucus and H5N1
RELATED:
Iain Martin / Telegraph:
Britain is going to need far more people like Sir Michael Caine — The son of a charlady from Rotherhithe is an example of social mobility at its best - but try telling that to Labour, says Iain Martin. — His name, as they say, is Michael Caine. And he's not a happy bunny.
Joseph Abrams / Fox News:
Despite Reports, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed Was Not Waterboarded 183 Times — The number of times Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was waterboarded was the focus of major media attention — and highly misleading. — FOXNews.com — The New York Times reported last week that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed …
Wall Street Journal:
Fed Pushes Citi, BofA to Increase Capital — Regulators have told Bank of America Corp. and Citigroup Inc. that the banks may need to raise more capital based on early results of the government's so-called stress tests of lenders, according to people familiar with the situation.
James Kirchick / Los Angeles Times:
Squanderer in chief — At a stop on his grand global apology tour this spring, President Obama was asked by a reporter in France if he believed in “American exceptionalism.” This is the notion that our history as the world's oldest democracy, our immigrant founding and our devotion …