The Arlen Specter thing

[wombat_socho]

There's something about Arlen Specter that puzzles me. He's managed to alienate the cultural conservatives in the Republican Party, and now I see that the anti-tax hardliners at the Club for Growth are agin' him as well. I also seem to recall that he's gone wobbly on a number of other issues near and dear to most members of the GOP such as the right to keep & bear arms and welfare reform.

Given all that, on what grounds does he still consider himself a Republican? I know it's a big tent and all, but there is a point at which you aren't inside any more.