Defensive maneouvers

Some Pennsylvania politicians are feeling the pinch of public opinion and are attempting to strike back:

1. US Senator Arlen Specter, accused of directing pork toward employers of the spouse of a staffer, calls for an investigation by the Senate ethics committee, presumably to clear his name.

   Specter said that Siegel Herson never disclosed to him that her husband was working for the recipients of his earmarks - nor did she suggest to him that she should recuse herself from any earmark decisions involving clients of her husband's.

   Of course, the recipients were fairly large local interests, such as Drexel College and a number of defense-related tech companies, so it's probably a stretch to think this was all a scheme by Specter. I suspect that the aid is not long for his staff, however...
   
   
2. Gubernatorial hopeful Lynn Swann, recently discovered to be an intermittant voter, at best, responds by saying he's proud of his voting record and that Pennsylvania has bigger things to think about. well, alright then!