Sestak: Offered Federal Position To Not Oppose Specter

US Representative Joe Sestak (D-PA) has decided to run against erstwhile Republican Arlen Specter for the Democrat nomination for Senate later this year. It's a good decision, because Sestak stands a good chance of winning the seat... Arlen Specter is about as popular with Pennsylvania Democrats as Parker Griffith is with Alabama Republicans.

So it looks like a good move for Sestak. However, PresBo and the majority leadership have eagerly embraced Specter... it would be an embarrassment for them if Specter couldn't even win the Dem primary.

Sestak is now saying that he was approached by the White House and offered a federal position if he would bow out of the Senate race and let Specter have it.
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/home_top_stories/20100219_Sestak_says_federal_job_was_offered_to_quit_race.html

The disclosure came during an afternoon taping of Larry Kane: Voice of Reason, a Sunday news-analysis show on the Comcast Network. Sestak would not elaborate on the circumstances and seemed chagrined after blurting out "yes" to veteran news anchor Kane's direct question.

"Was it secretary of the Navy?" Kane asked.

"No comment," Sestak said.

"Was it [the job] high-ranking?" Kane asked. Sestak said yes, but added that he would "never leave" the Senate race for a deal.

Of course, the White House denies this ever happened.

A White House spokesman this morning strongly denied Sestak had been offered yesterday. Before the spokesman issued the denial a senior Pennsylvania Democrat yesterday said Whitye House officials there were angered by Sestak's account.

Hmmm... are they angry because Sestak lied or angry because he talked about it?

"Clearly, the offers are made," said Ross Baker, a Rutgers University political science professor who specializes in Congress. "When a White House wants to preempt a challenge, they'll dangle something. But it is almost never uttered."

In addition, Baker said, conversations in such cases are nuanced, and savvy operators know not to use explicit quid pro quo language.

He said he could not, off hand, think of another instance in which a candidate has divulged an approach from White House officials.

Is this true or false? Only Sestak and those White House personnel involved know for sure. But from what we've seen in the past year of PresBo's political style, such an offer is believable. Despicable, but believable.

If it IS true, and that's a big if, it shows a deep disregard for the welfare of the nation... he'd rather see his political party get ahead than the country.