Just watch this:

Hat tip: Chris Medlock on Facebook

I read that rather than vilifying Senator Specter, I should reflect on why he made the big leap. I have.

Says Specter:

I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans.

We could have told him that years ago.

Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter has ratified his several years’ of behavior and officially become a Democrat. It’s a silly notion, really, because Specter doesn’t fit really well in either party. My problem, though, has been that as a Republican who was out of step with the vast majority of his party on many things related to the judiciary, he has been allowed the very powerful Chairmanship of the Judiciary Committee. He should have been assigned chairman of a committee related to areas on which he was in agreement with his party overall.

And then there is the silly business about protecting incumbents. Though Specter was an all-around thorn in President Bush’s side, Bush refused to back a truly conservative primary opponent to Specter, so Specter clung to power. And power is what this is all really about.

When someone switches from the majority to the minority (without it shifting the balance of power to once again put the defector in the majority), I’ll be open to claims about their bravery and character. That is not the case here. Specter has admitted this is in a move to keep the power and prestige of his Senate seat:

I believe I have a significant contribution to make on many of the key issues of the day, especially medical research. … And my seniority is very important to continue to bring important projects vital to Pennsylvania’s economy.

Translation: I want to keep right on being a Senator, and I’ll bribe the people of Pennsylvania with federal money to make it happen.

His move is not surprising. He, like many—maybe most—politicians, has grown addicted to the power it brings. He stayed with the Republicans for the last few years because they were daft enough to allow him what he wanted, especially his chairmanship. He will now hitch his wagon to the Dems as long as they give him the concessions he wants. He’s a political opportunist (probably a redundancy in terms), and he capitalized on his opportunity to survive against a strong conservative opponent in the upcoming primary. No one said he’s not shrewd. It would just be nice to see such dedication to principle rather than survival.

Apparently President Obama has called to welcome Specter to the party. This is probably a blessing for conservatism. If you give President Obama a cloture-voting, 60-seat majority in the Senate (combined with a large majority in the House), their policies will be unstoppable. And nothing converts the citizenry to conservatism like life under a liberal regime.

RNC Chairman Michael Steele actually made an inteligible comment this time:

“Let’s be honest—Senator Specter didn’t leave the GOP based on principles of any kind. He left to further his personal political interests because he knew that he was going to lose a Republican primary due to his left-wing voting record. Republicans look forward to beating Sen. Specter in 2010, assuming the Democrats don’t do it first.”

And so, it is what it is. No huge loss; just a small man serving his personal interests. You know, just another day in Washington, D.C.

In honor of MeeCiteeWurkor, who has chronicled his battles with his lawnmower (new one here), among other things, I have previously written of my battles with the Waterpik and MRSA. Tonight I add my battle with the air conditioner.

About two summers ago, in the hottest part of the season, I called a local air conditioner repair place because our A/C just wan’t keeping up. I thought it might need a charge or something. The repair dude came around and told me it was just too hot for anyone’s A/C to keep up well. I think he thought I was trying to keep the house too cold. He looked at it, put a little refrigerant in it, and hosed down one side of the outside box, noting there was a lot of dog hair. That seemed to do the trick (although it was never really able to cool like I thought it should in our well-insulated house).

At the end of last summer, I began to notice a noise coming from the outside unit. Upon looking, I saw the exhaust fan wasn’t turning. I could use a screwdriver to help it take off and it would work fine. It was really the beginning of autumn, so we just turned it off and did fine without. I knew I’d need to get it looked at this summer.

As it’s beginning to warm up, I figured it was time to test it out. Upon turning it on, I noticed the same symptoms. I’m not terribly handy, but I am able to figure basic things out (and I like to save a buck if I can), so I decided to tackle it today. Online research showed it was likely a “run capacitor,” which helps the fan motor get running. I decided also to remove the motor so I can have it tested just to be sure. I’m hoping it’s the capacitor because they are about $12. The motor could be over $100.

Unfortunately, my unit sits on the north side of the house, which stays wetter then anywhere else on the planet. It’s also the dogs’ favorite hangout because of said dampness. They like to lay there in the moist shade all summer long. I would too if I were a dog. With our recent rain and the dog traffic, that side of the house is a muddy swamp. I gave up trying to wear shoes and just went barefoot, and I finally got smart enough to spread some flakes of straw around to help me get some traction.

After disconnecting the power, I tore into my unit. It was fairly easy work removing the motor and capacitor, but it was crazy trying to keep my footing ankle deep in mud or something like it. Not to mention, there isn’t much work room, as there is only about a foot of clearance between the A/C and the fence.

In the midst of this procedure, having removed a portion of the unit’s cover, I noticed it looked like the innards of the A/C were wrapped in insulation (like a dishwasher is). That didn’t make sense to me, so I looked closer. It wasn’t insulation but dirt, grime, and a significant amount of dog hair (why is it called fun while they wear it and hair when it falls out and gets into trouble?). I also learned that the evaporator coils cover four sides of the unit, and as I looked, I realized that my A/C was wearing a beagle-fur coat. No wonder the capacitor and/or motor went out. There went the rest of my day.

The electric supply store wasn’t open anyway, so I set about removing the cover from the whole unit so I could do a good clean. That in itself was a feat, due to the aforementioned ankle-deep mud and about a 1,000 screws Rheem has apparently determined are necessary to keep the unit in one piece. Finally removing the cover, I was able to give it a good wash with the hose. The drain holes were even clogged, so I used the force of the water to clear them out. Then I bought some coil cleaner and sprayed it down, let it sit the recommended 15 minutes, and rinsed it all out again. All in all, it’s probably the cleanest its been since it was installed. When it was all over, I was a mess, covered head to toe in mud, and I had to hose off before I came in the house to shower.

So, it’s been a busy and productive day, and I am tired. I’ll get the new capacitor this week and get the motor tested. Once I have it all back together, if I remember how, I’m counting on a better-cooling, cheaper-to-operate A/C unit. I am also a bit miffed that the repairman I had come out didn’t recommend doing this then (or offer to do it for me). Online research has shown that it’s recommended to give your A/C a good clean at least once a year, and frankly, the manufacturers should make the coils easier to get to and clean without deconstructing the whole unit, but that might not sell as many units.

I would have tweeted pics, but Jeane threatened me. She somehow thinks it reflects badly on us. I’m just glad I got to the bottom of it. I’ll also be doing away with the dogs’ direct access to the A/C.

So, check your A/C’s evaporator coils—especially if you have dogs. I’d love to hear your stories.

My old pal MeeCiteeWurkor recently relaunched his blog, and in the last couple days he’s uploaded some videos about how Tulsa, struggling with filthy Arkansas River water, created its Spavinaw (and later the Oologah) flow lines. It’s a fascinating story about a monumental task. Here are the videos:

Previously in this space, I have shared that I have been in a dialogue with Bailey Dabney, publisher of the Claremore Progress, regarding Claremore’s tea party last week and the Progress‘ coverage of it. What I did not share was that Mr. Dabney was gracious enough to invite me to respond on the pages of his paper as a guest columnist, rather than in a letter to the editor. He certainly did not have to do so. And when he received my column, he didn’t have to print it, but he did. You’ll find it on the Op-Ed page of today’s (April 21, 2009) Progress and also online here.

Since my reports on the Claremore tea party and subsequent responses to the Claremore Progress‘ coverage of it, I have had occasion to be in communication with Bailey Dabney, the still relatively new publisher of the paper. I won’t be sharing many of the details of our dialogue, other than to saw it has been cordial, fair, and friendly. I find him a reasonable man. I am also impressed with his level coverage of what he say when he was in attendance at the Oklahoma City tea party. It’s as if he actually got out of his car and walked among those about which he intended to report.

The Tea Party crowd was friendly and lively, with an interesting array of witty and creative signs expressing dissatisfaction with our current national fiscal policies. As an eyewitness to this sizable gathering, I was surprised the way these groups have been portrayed by national media. There was no anti-government, anti-American, or anti-establishment attitude, as one cable news network described them. Taxpayers did want to be heard regarding their distaste for the current fiscal strategy. The tone was civil and friendly as I walked through snapping pictures with my Blackberry. Watching this group actually made me proud to live in a country where this type of civil communication is allowed. I haven’t seen official estimates, but my unofficial estimate puts 5,000 or more American patriots in attendance as our group walked through. By my estimation, this is an example for other protestors to follow.

That’s strikingly different from the report provided by his underlings in regard to Claremore’s event. It’s nice to see a reasoned head at the helm, and I am hopeful that he continues to improve the paper’s reporting and editorial pieces. His staffers should take a page from his book (or should that be paper?).

This is a good sign. I’ve been critical of the Progress many times, but I have to give credit where credit is due. At this rate, they may get me back as a subscriber.