From Politico:

Even as he accepted the resounding backing of the Pennsylvania Democratic state committee here Saturday, party-switching Sen. Arlen Specter’s vulnerability was on vivid display as he botched the name of a key Democratic officeholder in his acceptance speech.

“I’ll be fighting hard for the entire Democratic ticket. Sen. Andy — Andy —” Specter said, before pausing briefly, squinting his eyes.

“From Chester County,” he continued, losing his train of thought after clinching an emphatic 229-72 Senate endorsement vote from party regulars just minutes earlier.

“Dinniman,” the crowd responded almost in unison, referring to the state senator who represents West Chester. One committee member seated in the audience dropped his head and shook it.

From PA2010:

Specter was diagnosed in 2005 with Hodgkin’s disease, a cancer of the lymphatic system.

The political implications should be obvious. First, Republicans will have no qualms about making this a major issue in a race against Toomey in November. Second, and more importantly, if the Senator is not able to complete his term due to disease, his replacement will be appointed by the Governor, and polling data at this point strongly suggests that the next governor will be a Republican. That means the Democrats lose the seat—and the precious 60-vote super majority that the party establishment rolled over to get, and then lost in Massachusetts anyway, will be even further away.

Of course, there’s always the risk that a lame-duck Specter could revert to his Republican roots between the May primary and January of 2011, but that’s relatively small compared to the damage six years of a far-right, ultraconservative activist like Pat Toomey would do.

From the Washington Post:

Specter’s morning exercise regimen has kept him in remarkably good shape for a man his age, and he often boasts about his squash victories and weight-lifting prowess. He has a clean bill of health, his aides said. But at an age when most senior senators can coast a bit, Specter must demonstrate that he’s not walking into a sunset. And that walk is hardly brisk. At times, during a demanding week, he appeared exhausted and irritable. At other times, he recycled a joke about his physical condition to lighten otherwise tense moments.

I’ve run into one or two other reports that similarly require readers to “read between the lines”. I don’t believe in that kind of nonsense. In case you haven’t divined as much for yourself, if I have somehting to say, it’ll be on the page in black and white.

Senator Specter is 80 this year. He’s had a tumor removed from his brain. He’s made a series of unforced errors, and the number accumulates with every passing day.

It’s a huge mistake for Pennsylvania Democrats to perfunctorily stamp his primary card. He’s going to need every ounce of wits he’s got in him to beat Toomey in this electoral environment. If his age is catching up with him, he should withdraw from the race. If he refuses, PA voters should do the responsible thing and retire him at the primary ballot box.