At least we won this coin toss this time

I'm beginning to wonder if Arlen Specter flips a coin every morning when he wakes up to decide whether he'll be on the side of civil liberties or against them. (On the bright side, our opponents must be just as confounded by him as I am.)

Just recently, Specter reached a "compromise" with Vice President Cheney that produced a piece of legislation that gives the president a blank check to spy on Americans without a warrant and without mandatory judicial review of his actions. (FYI, it looks like this terrible legislation will be up for a vote this week.)

But just yesterday, Specter announced that by the end of this week, he would will have a bill ready that would allow Congress to sue President George W. Bush in federal court over his signing statements.

Signing statements, at least the Bush administration's version, seem to be presidential equivalent of crossing your fingers behind your back when signing a bill into law. According to the American Bar Association (which just released a report strongly criticizing this practice), Bush has issued over 800 of these statements.

Homemade brownies for the person who can provide me a coherent explanation of Specter's actions.