Specter Needs Better Zingers

Arlen Specter’s latest attack on Joe Sestak is pretty lame. Specter is calling Sestak a hypocrite for first saying that Specter is an opportunistic politician when he didn’t declare his political affiliatiation until he left the Navy. More recently, Sestak responded:

“Like Colin Powell (who was also registered as an Independent while he served), I believe that military officers should be nonpartisan,” Sestak said. “I’m proud that I was an Independent during my 35 years in the Navy, and I was proud to register as a Democrat as soon as I retired from active duty.”

Sestak is right here. It’s not unusual for soldiers to stay as far away from politics as they can while they are in the service. Former four-star General Richard Meyers is a good example. Journalists sometimes do this too. Former Washington Post editor Len Downie has stated that he didn’t vote because he’s an objective journalist. I don’t want to get into the objectivity discussion here. The point is that professionals who have to deal with politicians feel they can do their job better by not officially declaring sides. Makes sense.