Confused Democrats Appear to Welcome Phil Spector to Their Party

You can imagine how thrilled freshman Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) was by the news that her party was adding a national celebrity to its ranks. After all, the Senator is a huge Ronettes fan and loved the re-orchestration of "The Long and Winding Road"!

At least that's what we assume motivated Sen. Gillibrand when she issued a public statement reading: "GILLIBRAND WELCOMES SENATOR SPECTOR TO DEMOCRATIC PARTY."

See the only American Spector who's famous enough to be referenced by his last name alone is legendary record producer Phil Spector, architect of hits ranging from "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" to "He Hit Me (And It Felt Like a Kiss)."

And Gillibrand wasn't the only legislator sporting a "Back To Mono" lapel pin yesterday. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Rep. David Bonior (D-MI) also issued statements welcoming a Senator Spector to the Democratic Party.

Now the minor detail that Phil Spector is currently in jail clearly didn't dissuade the lawmakers. Many of their past colleagues have proceeded directly from the Capitol to the slammer, so why not allow someone to run through the routine in reverse order?

This is a long way of saying that the new Democrat on Capitol Hill spells his last name Specter. As in Arlen. Or, if you ask Webster's Dictionary, a "ghost, phantom or apparition."

On that note, we should add that Rush Limbaugh has also made recent reference to a Democratic Senator Specter. Unfortunately, this turned out to be a tasteless remark about Ted Kennedy.