While in City Hall this morning for an anti-violence press conference with Mayor Nutter, U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter offered some thoughts on colleague John McCain's latest troubles, regarding a relationship with a female lobbyist.
"I don't think people ought to jump to too many conclusions based on newspaper stories," Specter said. "Those stories have a lot of innuendo and not a lot of fact... Where's the beef?"
At the same time, he said, "When you put McCain on the front page of the Post, and the Times and the Inquirer on the same day - that's a pretty tough blow."
Pennsylvania's senior senator also noted that the same sort of character assets that cost McCain votes with conservative Republicans might give him "a real chance of running well in the Philadelphia suburbs."
How's that?
For conservatives, Specter said, McCain is "too independent, too moderate and to willing to cross party lines."
Specter also offered his view of how he thinks McCain will win the race for president, be it against Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton.
Obama is "a very able man." Hillary is "smart and energized." But there's one issue that will top others in this election, Specter said, and McCain has the edge over both Democrats on it: experience in national security.
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