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4:00 PM ET, April 28, 2009

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
Specter To Switch Parties  —  UPDATED, 2:10 p.m. Continue following the story here.  —  Original Post  —  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.
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.
CNN:
Specter: ‘The disappointment runs in both directions’  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — Veteran Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter said Tuesday that he switched from the Republican to the Democratic Party.  —  “I know I'm disappointing many of my colleagues,” he said at a news conference.
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 …
Carl Hulse / The Caucus:
Specter Switches 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.
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.) …
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.
The Politico:
Specter: I'm not an automatic 60th vote  —  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.
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 …
Discussion: Wonk Room and BBC
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 …
Eric Kleefeld / TPMDC:
Why Specter Did It — And Had To Do It  —  So why exactly has Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA D-PA) switched parties?  —  It really comes down to electability — specifically electability as a Republican.  Specter's own statement acknowledged that his support for the stimulus bill has made his position untenable with the GOP:
David Weigel / The Washington Independent:
Club for Growth Speechless on Specter Switch  —  I just called the Club for Growth for a reaction to Sen. Arlen Specter's (?-Pa.) announcement that he is switching to the Democratic Party and found Nachama Soloveichik, who is about to leave the Club to work for Republican 2010 Pennsylvania primary candidate …
CNN:
Specter to face a Democratic primary  —  From CNN's Mark Preston, Jessica Yellin and Rebecca Sinderbrand  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — Joe Torsella, the frontrunner for the Democratic Senate nomination in Pennsylvania, announced Tuesday that he will not step aside following the news that Republican …
Discussion: Weekly Standard
CNN:   Snowe calls Specter move ‘devastating’
Jennifer Parker / George's Bottom Line:
Specter Switches Sides; Tells Obama: 'I'm a Loyal Democrat'
Discussion: TQIA, Taylor Marsh and AmSpecBlog
Alex Isenstadt / The Politico:   GOP leaders: It's not our fault
The Campaign Spot:
Specter Flips; Guess Toomey's Got the GOP Primary Won, Huh?
Discussion: Townhall.com
Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:
Steele: Specter move not ‘based on principles of any kind’
Discussion: Think Progress, On Deadline and MyDD
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
WHY SPECTER'S SWITCH MATTERS.... Following up on the last item …
Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
What Specter's switch says about him, the Democrats and our political spectrum
Discussion: The Huffington Post
Mark Silva / The Swamp:
Specter switches: GOP ‘far to the right’
Jeremy P. Jacobs / The Hill's Blog Briefing Room:   Sestak refuses to rule out Senate run against Specter
Matt Welch / Reason:   Arlen Specter, Democrat
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:   Some Questions to Be Answered
Megan McArdle:
Arlen Specter switches parties
Discussion: Matthew Yglesias
The New Republic:
Arlen Specter Switching Parties? [CONFIRMED]
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 …
RELATED:
Washington Post:
Swine Flu Spreading, but Officials Say Travel Restrictions Do Little to Help
Discussion: Crooks and Liars and beliefnet
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 …
Discussion: Donklephant
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.
 
 
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 More Items: 
Bloomberg:
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SteveK / TVNewser:
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Josh Gerstein / The Politico:
Liberals push Bybee impeachment
Discussion: The Swamp
 Earlier Items: 
Lyle Denniston / SCOTUSblog:
Court partly upholds “dirty words” ban
Richard Cohen / Washington Post:
Why We Ban Torture  —  On April 16, President Obama released …
Discussion: TalkLeft and First Draft
Iain Martin / Telegraph:
Britain is going to need far more people like Sir Michael Caine
Wall Street Journal:
The Politics of Liberal Amnesia
Guardian:
Pianist stops show with anti-US rant
Discussion: Culture Monster