A Pennsylvania Senator Tries to Have it Both Ways

Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:

Party Foul

Pennsylvania Republican-turned-Democratic Senator Arlen Specter once again appears to be having a bit of a political identity crisis. With a tough primary only one week away, Specter spoke Tuesday to a group of Democrats in Pittsburgh and said this: "I thank the Allegheny Republican Committee for endorsing me for the Democratic nomination… Great pleasure to be endorsed by the Allegheny County Republicans and together we'll win for victory."

Specter said he simply misspoke. It was just one month ago when he made a similar flub in front of the Penn State College Democrats, calling them college Republicans.

Potty Politics

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill think the restroom situation in federal buildings for women stinks. A House Oversight Committee held hearings today on the Potty Parity Act — no joke — it's a bill that would require any federal building constructed for public use to have an equal number of toilets in women's and men's restrooms.

Drive a Hard Bargain

A 2000 Jeep Cherokee with 133,000 miles on it has sold at auction for almost $23,000 over its estimated value.

The reason? The previous owner happened to be a Mr. Barack Obama. The Wall Street Journal reports Liz Murphy bought the Jeep from a used car dealer back in 2004. When she was given the paperwork for it, the seller pointed to the name on the title — both recognized Obama as a popular Chicago politician — and then he suggested the buyer make a copy of it because, "You never know — he might be president some day."

well now that he is president, Murphy thought it was time to make a deal. She says the president left his mark on the Jeep — a wear mark on the steering wheel, a small tear on one of the leather seats, and the lingering smell of cigarette smoke.

Swing and a Miss

And finally Boston Democratic Mayor Thomas Menino used up two strikes this week when talking about the city's sports history. Menino said: "We have an amazing set of remarkable athletes whose actions in the moment have become ionic in sports." He probably meant iconic.

He went on to confuse Red Sox catcher Jason Veritek with Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri, saying Veritek kicked it "right through the uprights." Menino admitted he goofed, joking he was having a bad hair day.

— Fox News Channel's Lanna Britt contributed to this report.