The American Debate: Democratic champion or rogue knight? (single magic bullet Spector)

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/currents/20100516_The_American_Debate__Democratic_champion_or_rogue_knight_.html#axzz0o8qVlqqA

Posted on Sun, May. 16, 2010

A Republican for the last 29 years, Sen. Arlen Specter faces a new party and a serious challenge from U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak in Tuesday's primary.

By Dick Polman Inquirer National Political Columnist

Your basic Pennsylvania couch potato, having gorged by now on a surfeit of campaign commercials, may well believe that the heavy hitters in both parties adore Arlen Specter.

In the various TV ads, George W. Bush lauds the loyalty of Arlen Specter ("I can count on this man"), Barack Obama says he loves Arlen Specter, and Rick Santorum is shown applauding Arlen Specter. There's a freeze-frame shot of Sarah Palin sharing a podium with ally Arlen Specter, but we also know that Ed Rendell and the labor unions are working to stoke turnout in Tuesday's Senate Democratic primary for the benefit of Arlen Specter.

All of which prompts me to wonder, and not for the first time: Who exactly is Arlen Specter, anyway?

Thankfully, the primary results will provide some minimal clarification; he'll be a winner, or a loser. If he squelches the serious challenge from upstart Congressman Joe Sestak, the story line will be that Specter's sudden morphing from Republican to Democrat was a shrewd move; that this tough old bird could probably outlive the cockroaches during a nuclear winter. But if he is ousted by the Democratic primary voters - a very real possibility; one late poll had Sestak up by nine points - it shall be written that not even Specter could survive the undertow that threatens to drown incumbents in both parties.

Two Capitol Hill insiders have been summarily dumped by their respective parties during the last eight days: 18-year Republican Sen. Bob Bennett (who couldn't even get renominated at his Utah party convention), and 28-year Democratic congressman Alan Mollohan (whose well-earned reputation for pumping pork into his West Virginia district failed to impress the primary voters). Anger is the emotion of choice in 2010, and career politicians make the best targets.

Read more: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/currents/20100516_The_American_Debate__Democratic_champion_or_rogue_knight_.html#ixzz0o8r4XHh1

FULL story at link.

Arlen Specter
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arlen_Specter

At the recommendation of Representative Gerald Ford, he worked for the Warren Commission, investigating the assassination of John F. Kennedy. As an assistant counsel for the commission, he authored or co-authored<13> the "single bullet theory," which suggested the non-fatal wounds to Kennedy and wounds to Texas Governor John Connally were caused by the same bullet. This was a crucial assertion for the Warren Commission, since if the two had been wounded by separate bullets, that would have demonstrated the presence of a second assassin and therefore a conspiracy.<14>


Specter reproducing the assumed alignment of the single bullet theory

[saltpoint]

1. Tuesday night in Pennsylvania is going to be a smokin' hot few hours

as the precincts begin to report.

I'm rooting for Joe.

[AlinPA]

3. I'm voting for Joe at 8:00 am Tuesday morning.

[saltpoint]

4. Alright!

:hi:

[Schema Thing]

2. "magic bullet" is kinda like "Al Gore said he invented the internet"

There need be nothing "magic" for the single bullet to have hit both Kennedy and Connally. It's been proven to be both possible and likely. Also, it happened.



IOW, Specter was right, but the meme persist.

[saltpoint]

5. Some analysts disagree on that bullet theory:

- - -

http://www.phillymag.com/articles/features_the_warren_commission_the_truth_and_arlen_specter_part_1/page7

- - -

[Schema Thing]

6. Yes "some" do.

"some" even say it couldn't have happened, even though it's been proven that from a physics standpoint it most certainly could happen.

"some" people, when confronted with a choice between what logic, science and facts inform vs what their *gut* tells them to-the-contrary, will go with their gut every time.


I have a friend who snarked about Al Gore and the internet one too many times, so I told him he was repeating a known lie, and I showed him exactly what Al Gore DID say and exactly what Al Gore DID wrt helping get the internet rolling.

Months later, I caught him repeating his snark, just like "some" people are wont to do.

[saltpoint]

7. The 'some' in the present case are indicated in the article.

There remains very significant doubt that one bullet was involved.

I don't believe the Gore story is analogous.

[Omaha Steve]

8. 3 bolt action shots in 5.6 seconds and the kill shot was the last?

Nope. It didn't happen.

[saltpoint]

9. Hi, Omaha Steve. The article is a bit long-winded but then again,

the events are multiplied considerably, given how many things happened that day and what little we know about some of them.