For those who are interested in American politics, longtime Republican Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter has decided to switch parties and become a democrat.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/04/...tch/index.html
This is pretty significant, for two reasons--the first is that when Al Franken is seated, the Democrats will now have a 60-vote, filibuster-proof majority in the Senate.
The second is that Specter was expected to face a tough primary challenge in his reelection bid--and one wonders how this will go over with voters, if it will be seen as a move of convenience (a last-ditch attempt to preserve some vestige of his political career) or of ideology (Specter has sided with Obama on a few key issues).
Interesting times.