From Arlen Specter, a glimpse into the cowardly heart of the Republican Party

By Michael J.W. Stickings

HuffPo:

Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA), who broke with his party to support President Obama's stimulus package last week, said before the final vote Friday that more of his colleagues would have joined were they not afraid of the political consequences.

"When I came back to the cloak room after coming to the agreement a week ago today," said Specter, "one of my colleagues said, 'Arlen, I'm proud of you.' My Republican colleague said, 'Arlen, I'm proud of you.' I said, 'Are you going to vote with me?' And he said, 'No, I might have a primary.' And I said, 'Well, you know very well I'm going to have a primary.'"

*****

"I think there are a lot of people in the Republican caucus who are glad to see this action taken without their fingerprints, without their participation," he said.

Cowards.

As much as I dislike Specter's "centrism" -- and his harmful contributions to the stimulus debate -- at least he isn't putting party before country, and self before all else, at a time when the American people need their leaders to act with courage and determination.

And at least you can say this about him: He's a bad Republican.