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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 …
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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.
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The Moderate Voice, The Atlantic Politics Channel, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, Washington Monthly, George's Bottom Line, NPR Blogs, Time, Political Punch, TPMDC, Reason, Newsweek Blogs, RHRealityCheck.org, Firedoglake, Brendan Calling, The Campaign Spot, Washington Times, TRAIL BLAZERS, ONTD: Politics, Open Congress, BizzyBlog, Democracy in America, The Plum Line and On Politics
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 …
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
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.
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The Politico, The Edge of the American West, The Lede, The Reaction, ScienceInsider, Pam's House Blend and Prairie Weather
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 …
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.
Discussion:
Matthew Yglesias, Think Progress, The Washington Independent, Above the Law, NO QUARTER and Wonk Room
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 …
David Espo / Associated Press:
Specter says he's switching from GOP to Democrats … WASHINGTON (AP) - Veteran Republican Sen. Arlen Specter disclosed plans Tuesday to switch parties, a move intended to boost his chances of winning re-election next year that will also push Democrats closer to a 60-vote filibuster-resistant majority.
Ross Douthat / New York Times:Cheney for President — Watching Dick Cheney defend …
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The Campaign Spot:Specter Flips; Guess Toomey's Got the GOP Primary Won, Huh?
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Townhall.com
Mark Silva / The Swamp:Specter switches: GOP ‘far to the right’
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The Atlantic Politics Channel
Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog: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 Lede, The Caucus, H5N1 and Washington Times
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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.
Lyle Denniston / SCOTUSblog:
Court partly upholds “dirty words” ban — Splitting 5-4, the Supreme Court upheld the government's power under existing law to ban the use on radio and TV of even a single four-letter word that is considered indecent — but left open the question of whether the ban might violate the First Amendment, at least in some situations.
Discussion:
Salon
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 …
Wall Street Journal:
The Politics of Liberal Amnesia — Nancy Pelosi is “pushing back” against charges that she was aware of — and acquiesced in — the CIA's harsh interrogations of terrorist detainees nearly from the moment the practice began, reports the Politico Web site. Maybe she's suffering from amnesia.
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