Sen. Arlen Specter said at a press conference today — while announcing that he was switching from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party — that ‘principal’ is what he stands for.

If ‘principal’ rather than ‘power’ was Specter’s motive, he would have done what Sen. Joe Lieberman did when he was challenged as a Democrat in the State of Connecticut.

If you recall Lieberman lost in the Democratic primary and then selected to run as an Independent to regain his seat and the people of Connecticut returned him to the Senate.

I always admired Lieberman as a Democrat for his character, his independence and his ability to vote for what was right, rather than politically correct.

Lieberman got it right — Specter today got it wrong when it comes to principal.

Specter, reflecting upon his decision, was candid.  We looked at the numbers he said and the “prospects for winning are bleak,” in 2010.

He said, “As “Republicans moved further and further to the right, I have found myself more aligned with the Democratic Party.”

Specter a five term Senator from Pennsylvania was always more aligned with the Democrats as a Republican.

If this doesn’t demonstrate that Specter is more interested in ‘power’ rather than ‘principal’, I don’t know what does.

President Obama upon learning of the party switch said in a telephone call to Specter, “You have my full support” and that Democrats are “thrilled to have you.”

Specter also got support from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who claims he had been working on the Senator for five years to switch parties. Vice President Biden did Reid one better, he said he had been working on the switch for six years.

Both Obama and Reid promised to campaign for the Senator and he was guaranteed that he would maintain his seniority in the Senate should he win under his new label.

So you can see it was a survival ‘power’ play at the age of 79 to continue to fuel an ego that is still alive and well despite health problems involving two bouts with cancer.

Specter was a turncoat long before today.  Most recently he fueled anger among the GOP when he voted for a $789 Billion stimulus package along with two other Republicans.

“I deeply regret that I will be disappointing many friends and supporters,” Specter said.

“I can understand their disappointment,” he said.  “I am also disappointed that so many in the party I have worked for, for more than four decades do not want me to be their candidate.  It is very painful on both sides.”

Specter said he would continue to maintain his independence, noting that he would not change his mind on “Card Choice”, a Union effort to expose individual votes made to join a Union or as a member of same.  “Card Choice is a bad idea”, Specter said.

He went on to note, “I will not be an automatic 60th vote.”

The reference here, of course, is the significance the Specter switch could mean for the Democrats.  It puts them within one vote of a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate.  Democrats currently hold 56 seats in the Senate, and two independents typically vote with the Party.  Republicans have 41 seats.

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele said, “Let’s be honest – Sen. Specter’s decision today represents the height of political self-preservation.  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,” Steele said.

Specter’s move today was a self-preservation act of ‘power’ and survival, intermingled with ego, and had very little to do with ‘principal.’