'The Day When Swine Flew'

Charles Hurt lays the big hurt on the Arlen Specter, who so graciously handed Barack Obama more unchecked power than LBJ or Jimmy Carter ever had. Read the whole thing, but here's all you need to know about what a snake Specter is.

It was just last month that Benedict Arlen was vowing never to switch parties. The notion of "check and balance" against giving Democrats such absolute power was a "very important principle" to him.

So what changed?

His pollster called and told him that he couldn't win the Republican primary.

Specter, you see, is a world-class "negotiator" who can wrestle with any shred of his conscience and win every time.

He could teach Eliot Spitzer hooker Ashley Dupree a thing or two. At least, she wouldn't compromise on requiring johns to practice safe sex -- even if he was the governor of New York.

For Specter, anything is for sale and everything is negotiable. It's why he has thrived so well and for so long.

Republicans on Capitol Hill are wondering why with both chambers of Congress at his beck and call and the entire press corps in his back pocket, Obama needs Arlen Specter, too.

For more principled conservatives, this will be remembered as the day when Swine flew. They are relieved to be done with the constant thorn in their sides that was "Snarlin' Arlen."

And, of course, they are praying that he will be as helpful to Democrats as he has been to Republicans.

A roundup of opinion on Specter here.