In a May 7 article opens “Sen. Arlen Specter sought to minimize any political damage Wednesday after fellow Democrats decided against honoring the 28 years’ seniority he accumulated as a Republican before switching parties last week.”
WATCHDOG: Specter will now be the most junior Democrat in the Senate for the balance of his term. This is an extraordinary come down for someone who has chaired or been the senior minority member of the Judiciary Committee for years and as has chaired or served as the senior minority member on many important appropriate committees for over a decade.
Perhaps Specter would have done better heeding the advice of the WATCHDOG rather than the prediction of Gil Smart and stayed in the Republican Party. He could have retired in 2010 at age 80 with grace and approbation at the end of his current term.
For most, 30 years would be enough! No other Pennsylvania senator has served more than 24.
