K Lo posted my NRODT story on Arlen Specter today here. Quick story: When I interviewed Specter for the piece last summer, my first question was “What’s the conservative case for your re-election?” He could have said many things–the GOP’s narrow control of the Senate means Republicans shouldn’t be taking chances, he supported a round of Bush tax cuts, he’s been okay on defense issues, etc. Instead, he mentioned his support for Clarence Thomas–definitely important at the time, though Specter also has been re-elected twice since then. Are conservatives supposed to thank him forever? And why should we view supporting Thomas as a favor? It should actually be a precondition. Then Specter went into a strange defense of his opposition to the Bork nomination. And that was it. An astonishly weak answer to a softball question. The man just doesn’t understand conservatives, doesn’t seem interested in trying, and deserves to go.