Sen. Specter has a recurrence of his cancer. Our prayers go out to him. He seems in good shape, and the prognosis looks good. I saw him just this morning, at a press conference for Tax Day, standing beside Grover Norquist and sounding very much like a supply-sider. The truth is, the man has been pretty good on some tax issues for quite a while, particularly in getting rid of the Alternative Minimum Tax. Anyway, Specter looked hale and hearty this morning.

Another note: I have remarked several times in the past several months how much better I like Specter now than I used to. He seems calmer, less brusque, more statesmanlike. He also seems to be making far more of an effort to please conservatives. At a Spectator dinner two years ago, he was very impressive. And he has been really working hard to get judicial nominees through the process. All of which is even more reason to wish him a speedy recovery — although we would wish him a speedy recovery regardless of his increasingly conservative performance, but just out of simple human kindness.

One thing that seems certain: Specter won’t slow down one bit during his treatment regime. He didn’t slow down last time, and he’s a tough guy. Very, very impressive attitude. Again, we wish him success in his recovery, and offer him our respect as well.