Beware of Snarlin' Arlen

My battles—on the phone! in the locker room!—with the most hot-headed, opportunistic, and unpredictably bizarre member of the United States Senate.

(By Lloyd Grove, The Daily Beast) - It was a double-barreled phone call from the office of Arlen Specter, the zealously contrary senator who is now, happily for some in Washington, the Democrats’ problem. Two of Specter’s senior staffers were ready to read me the riot act. But they didn’t sound angry; they sounded nervous.

“Senator Specter asked us to call you,” the communications director began, his voice quavering. “Our press secretary is also on the line. And the senator has asked us to tape this call so we can play it back for him later.”