An attack ad from a former vice-admiral hit Senator Arlen Specter like a homing torpedo. Mr Specter was a moderate Republican for 44 years before bolting from his party last year. Leading Democrats in Washington were elated. For a few sweet months Mr Specter's switcheroo gave them a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate. But the Democratic rank-and-file beyond the Beltway never warmed to him. It was not just his grouchiness, which long ago earned him the nickname "Snarlin' Arlen". It was the fact that he had been, for most of his long life, a Republican.
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