Admiral Joe Aims For The Big Chair

As reported here by TPM, Dem PA-07 U.S. House Rep. Joe Sestak will meet with Andy Stern of the Service Employees International Union, with more details forthcoming I’m sure. This comes after Sestak claimed he was “thinking of getting in” to the PA Senate race next year in which Snarlin’ Arlen Specter plans to defend his seat against Pat Toomey (and my suspicion is that, if former governor Tom Ridge decides to “primary” Toomey, he’s going to crash and burn as he finds out why Specter bailed on the Repugs in the first place – Smerky, among other people, was puffing up Ridge recently here).

I have to admit that I’m pretty torn on Admiral Joe. I followed his exploits fairly closely for a time after he was elected in 2006, but I bailed on him for the reasons noted here. Basically, he bombed on the three big issues important to yours truly: 1) Impeaching Bush (of course, he had a lot of company there); 2) Unwarranted surveillance and the NSA data mining that took place before 9/11 and continues, with the Obama Administration moving to quash related lawsuits; and 3) Supporting and enforcing Iraq withdrawal timelines tied to war funding to the fullest extend possible.

However, I think it’s important that we pitch in on his behalf all the same (as well as Joe Torsella – this links to his site and Sestak’s, where Admiral Joe leaves a none-too-subtle hint of his intentions). For all my misgivings, Sestak has still voted as a credible Democrat, as Howie Klein notes here.

And it is plainly obvious by now, as Think Progress points out here, that Arlen Specter, despite his professed loyalty to his new party, has no intention whatsoever of voting, or even acting, like a Democrat. He deserves not one speck of the support committed to him from the party establishment of this state, as well as anyone in D.C. who has pledged to help him. It should come as no surprise to anyone that his move is based on crass partisan political maneuvering and not one thing more.

Update 5/5/09: God, Arlen, you sooo need to be “primaried” (here…and he regrets voting for the racist who took his place on the Judiciary Committee here – huh?).