Specter is Making Quite a Spectacle

I know I said I would be gone for a couple weeks, but this was just too good to ignore. Also, I apologize for the title, but I couldn’t help myself. Various media sources reported today that Arlen Specter, a Senator from Pennsylvania, has decided to leave the Republican party after 43 years. His decision is purely political, due to the fact that he is considered unlikely to survive the Pennsylvania Senate primary in 2010. He admitted that public opinion polls showed that he could not win that primary nomination. Therefore, as a matter of pure political preservation, Specter has decided to join the Democratic party and seek their nomination in 2010.

Needless to say, this is going to have quite an impact, politically, in the power dynamic in the U.S. Senate. Currently, the Democrats hold 56 seats, with one seat left open while legal issues are decided in Minnesota. Comedian Al Franken is expected to win the final decision and take that seat, giving Democrats 57 seats. Adding the two Independents who tend to vote with the Democratic Party (except on matters dealing with Iraq, in Sen. Lieberman’s case), this would leave the majority party one vote short of the 60 votes needed to invoke cloture and block a filibuster attempt by the minority. With Sen. Specter walking across the aisle, this will give the Democratic Caucus the 60 votes, assuming complete unity between the majority and the two Independents.

Now, considering the fact that Specter, along with Maine Republicans Sue Collins and Olympia Snowe, had voted with the majority on numerous occasions, Specter’s defection is unlikely to have a serious practical impact. His voting is unlikely to change significantly, since he voted with the majority fairly frequently. However, the political implications for the GOP are not so insignificant. Love him or hate him, Specter was seen as a moderate voice in the GOP, often finding himself at odds with the more conservative leadership. Losing him as a party member will only drive the view of the GOP as an extreme right-wing party. This could turn into a public relations nightmare for the GOP.

The fact is, Specter may have been more of a Democrats than a Republican, but that could have more to do with the fact that the Republican party is losing its moderate constituency, and is being driven further to the right, alienating many independent voters. With key “old guard” members like Trent Lott and John Warner retiring, the GOP has a unique opportunity to redefine itself, along more modern criteria. How the party decides to move forward in the coming years will impact its success in the future. Regardless, many Republicans are left wondeing if Specter is just the first in a line of possible abandonment. Time will tell.

Two Week Hiatus

Not that I am completely consistent with my postings here, I will likely be on a two week hiatus as I take my exams for the semester. My last exam is May 7, but my firm’s national forum will not be over until May 8. I would not expect anything new on here until May 11 or later. Enjoy the Spring weather.

Optimistic, But Largely Irrelevant

Stocks bounced Thursday as investors overlooked some troubling economic data to focus on the possibility that a recovery is in sight.

WSJ

I, like everyone else, am encouraged to see stocks rise, but let’s face it, we have not likely hit bottom yet. I hope I am wrong, but I expect I am right.

Cuba’s Turn to Compromise

President Barack Obama said the U.S. had gone about as far as it would go for now in easing relations with Cuba, and that he would wait for new gestures from Havana before taking further action.

WSJ

Wow, twice in one day. Obama is on a roll.

End of Chechnya Conflict?

Russia on Thursday ordered an end to its counterterrorism operation in Chechnya, a move that could lead to the withdrawal of tens of thousands of troops from the southern republic battered by two separatist wars in the past 15 years.

WSJ

Wow. I honestly did not see that one coming. I thought that would go on for at least another few decades.

Immunity for "Harsh" Tactics

The Obama administration granted legal immunity to Central Intelligence Agency officials who carried out harsh interrogations of terror suspects following the 9/11 attacks, giving the agency the protection it has sought for years.

WSJ

Finally, Obama does something I agree with. Better late than never.

When Will Some People Finally Let Go of Barbaric Principles?

Hundreds of Afghans swarmed a demonstration of more than 100 people protesting a conservative marriage law in Afghanistan on Wednesday. The law, passed last month, says a husband can demand sex with his wife every four days unless she is ill or would be harmed by intercourse. Critics say it legalizes marital rape. It also regulates when and for what reasons a wife may leave her home alone.

WSJ

In understand that we now have a duty to these people, but I often wonder why we waste our time and money on people who refuse to help themselves. Say what you want about diversity and tolerance, some people are simply backwards, and always will be. I feel for those who have the courage to stand up for change, only to be met with severe backlash. They are the only ones I am concerned with anymore.

What is he planning?

Iran’s president said Wednesday he is willing to forget the past and build a new relationship with the U.S., adding that he is preparing a new package of proposals aimed at breaking the impasse with the West over his country’s nuclear program. The remarks by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to thousands in the southeastern city of Kerman took a conciliatory tone not usually heard in his speeches.

WSJ

Forgive my paranoia, but either he has been privately threatened, or he wants something that he feels he can bargain with us for. Either way, I still don;t trust the crafty SOB.

Don’t Forget the Stick

When the operating theory in Washington is that deficit spending on every possible priority is conducive to economic growth, there’s no justification for slamming the brakes on the defense budget. The world hasn’t gotten any less dangerous, a fact to which Capt. Phillips can attest. If we ever tip below the level of capability necessary to enforce a rough global order, we — and the world — will regret it.

Real Clear Politics

I could not have said it better myself, which is why, I suppose, Rich Lowry gets paid for this and I do not. The fact is, we have invested billion into future combat systems and other DoD programs. And while I agree we need to take a closer look at what we are paying for, we need to be careful about gutting R&D that will help us stay ahead of the curve in military technology. I am all for this new Obama policy of taking a less aggressive position in foreign affairs, so long as he holds to Teddy Roosevelt’s philosophy: Talk softly, but carry a big stick.

Castro Might Be Coming for Dinner

As the Obama administration considers a shift in the half-century policy of isolating Cuba, members of the Congressional Black Caucus returned from Havana saying the Castro brothers are eager to see a new day in U.S.-Cuban relations.

WSJ

Forgive me for seeming skeptical of of our foreign adversaries, but I question the motives of both the CBC and the Castro Brothers. I will not deny the economic opportunities that could result from better U.S.-Cuban relations, but we should not dive into this blindly. The Castro Brothers see new opportunity with the Obama Administration, and I am not sure I like what that says about Obama. Finally, the CBC is simply making a political move, trying to assert its own importance by being the first voting bloc within the Democratic party to hold open talks with Cuban leaders. But while they are getting their names in the papers, we might want to take another look at both Castro brothers and their ultimate motives and desires. Just my opinion.