Analysis: Specter leaves a shrinking GOP tent

The Associated Press has a good analysis of Arlen Specter's decision to switch parties. Here's an excerpt:

With Sen. Arlen Specter's switch to the Democrats, the Republican Party is increasingly at risk of being viewed as a mostly Southern and solidly conservative party, an identity that might take years to overcome.

Specter's move, which rocked Congress and the political world Tuesday, is the latest blow to Republicans, especially in the Northeast, once a GOP stronghold. The region's Republicans now have been reduced to a scant presence in the House and a dwindling influence in the Senate.

..."This is now officially a Republican Party where moderates need not apply," said Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass.