The specter of Arlen now haunting Democrats

The defection of Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter to the Democrat party didn't break a lot of hearts in the GOP. However, with the likely seating of Al Franken in the Senate, that would give the Democrats the magic number of 60. As such, Republicans' celebration of Specter's departure should have been tempered.

But not anymore.

Per Senator Specter (D-PA), the GOP may be to blame for the death of Jack Kemp.

"If (Republicans) had pursued what President Nixon declared in 1970 as the war on cancer, we would have cured many strains. I think Jack Kemp would be alive today. And that research has saved or prolonged many lives, including mine."

Kemp was not even gone for 72 hours before Specter made such a shocking statement. What's worse is Specter's despicable claim, as Ed Morrissey astutely points out, isn't even valid.

During Republican control of Congress, federal spending on health research and regulation increased 46% after inflation, from $49 billion a year to $72 billion a year, or about 7% increase each year. That’s almost the same rate of increase as Defense spending got in the same period (48%), when we actually had a real war on our hands, and not a political contrivance for excusing federal spending.

And Specter wonders why he can’t get within 20 points of Pat Toomey in a primary

Such demamgogurey further reaffirms Judge Robert Bork's statement from three years ago: "I know Specter, and the truth is not in him."


UPDATE: Kudos to my pal Mark for this key observation: "If (John) Edwards is going to jail, the job of cheap demagogue on medical research for the D's is open, so Arlen is just filling a market niche."


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