Fresh Loaf

OK, I was at a lunch meeting, so I’m late on this, but holy shit! Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania announced around noon that he’ll switch parties, running as a Democrat next year. That would give the Democrats a filibuster-proof majority of 60 in the U.S. Senate. That’s not to say, of course, that Specter can be counted on to always vote with his party — he’s always been more of a free radical in that regard — but it would give Pres. Obama a helluva weapon for pushing through his agenda.

From the NYT:

“I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans,” Mr. Specter said, acknowledging that his decision was certain to disappoint colleagues and supporters.

Assuming Al Franken is finally confirmed as the winner in Minnesota, the Democrats would possess 60 seats for the first time since the Carter era. For all Karl Rove’s talk of a “permanent Republican majority,” the Bush-led GOP never managed to reach that magic number. In your face, Karl!

For those who’d prefer an alt-weekly version of the story, check out the Jackson Free Press story, Arlen Specter To Join the Wu-Tang Clan.

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MOTHER’S DAY TORNADOES: Twenty-three people are killed nationally by an estimated 47 twisters from Oklahoma and Missouri to Georgia, making this year the worst so far for tornadoes since 1999. At least one person dies in Georgia as six tornadoes hit through midstate.

EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE: A Valdosta Daily Times reporter, who was one of five media monitors of the execution of William Earl Lynd last week, writes of the experience.

THOMAS GOWN AFFAIR: Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas gives UGA’s commencement speech over the weekend, recalling how Georgia was still too segregated for him to attend UGA in the ’60s.

SCHOLARBLIND: The AP profiles the valedictorian of this year’s Morehouse graduating class, who’s white.

CORN IN THE USA: By July, the entire Southeast gasoline pipeline will be using E10, which is at least 8 percent ethanol.

CAN’T ARGUE WITH RESULTS: Jonesboro High School’s mock trial team wins its second consecutive national championship.

SHADY ROVE: MC Turd Blossom has a new gig as FOX News “pundit.”

CROWS TERRIFIED: Northeast Georgia town trying to break Guinness World Record for “Most Scarecrows in One Location,” with 4,000 scarecrows by Sept. 1. No one so far has had the heart to tell Hoschton that this will not, in fact, make the town a “household word.”

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OK, I’m biased. I’m Sugg.

But Monday, I hinted that the news about Attorney General Alberto Gonzales finally being run out of office might have been timed to coincide with Michael Vick’s crash and burn in a Richmond, Va., federal court. I wrote: “I’ll bet … the cable and network news devote much more time to the dog abuser than they do to the Constitution abuser.” My only error was not including the AJC in the list.

In the Tuesday paper, Vick rated about twice as much space on the front page as did Gonzo. Inside, the Constitution abuser got about five-sixths of a page, while the dog abuser got more than 1.5 pages — plus about two-thirds of a page in the Sports section.

Yep, ol’ Rove knew how to time this one.

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