I didn't always agree with Arlen Specter but I had a lot of respect for him. He was certainly one of the smartest men in the Senate and he usually voted with his conscience. Although he was a republican for most of his 30 years as a US Senator, he actually began his career as a democrat and ended his career as a democrat. The main reason he switched back to the Democratic party towards the end of his career was because he thought that was the only way he could get re-elected. Some people criticized him for that but I didn't have a huge problem with it. He often times voted with the democrats any way. He was very middle of the road. I don't think it really mattered what party he was in. He was going to vote with his conscience any way.
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