GET THE MEN IN THE WHITE COATS - AT 8:45 P.M. ET:  Has Arlen Specter taken complete leave of his senses?  Or does a convert to the Democratic Party have to prove how zany he is from day one?  The senator from Pennsylvania has given us his wisdom on the subject of medical research:

Sen. Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania Democrat, said part of the reason he left the Republican Party last week was disillusionment with its healthcare priorities, and suggested that had the Republicans taken a more moderate track, Jack Kemp may have won his battle with cancer.

No doubt the Kemp family will appreciate that.

Mr. Specter continued: "If we had pursued what President Nixon declared in 1970 as the war on cancer, we would have cured many strains. I think Jack Kemp would be alive today. And that research has saved or prolonged many lives, including mine."

Wait a minute.  On the one hand, he suggests that we didn't pursue President Nixon's war on cancer.  On the other hand he says, "And that research has saved or prolonged many lives, including mine."  And he gives his expert autopsy report on Jack Kemp.

There are pills available for behavior like this, Arlen.  Little pills.  Easy to swallow. 

May 3, 2009