Pat Dollard | Young Americans

The Swamp: After seeing his seniority stripped last week by Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), it looks like Sen. Arlen Specter got the memo and is now busily marching to the Democrats’ tune.

On Wednesday, the Pennsylvania senator had harsh words for the CIA, telling a group gathered at the American Law Institute, “The CIA has a very bad record when it comes to — I was about to say candid, that’s too mild — to honesty.”

In remarks first reported by The Hill, Specter pointed to the agency’s past record of divulging “misleading” information, citing examples around mining in Nicaragua and the Iran-Contra affair.

Specter also called for the release of the CIA’s official transcripts on what was told to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi about the Bush administration’s enhanced interrogation techniques, and when.

“Speaker Pelosi wants the notes disclosed. I think they ought to be, in the interest of transparency,” Specter said. “The Speaker’s entitled to have as much light shed on this as possible, and so [is] the public. The public is entitled to know what went on there.”

But Sen. John McCain is having none of it. During an appearance on Fox & Friends this morning, the Arizona senator offered a sharp rebuttal of Specter’s stance:

“The fact is the CIA does not lie to Congress and somebody that alleges that they do, the burden of proof is on them,” McCain said. “I don’t know what Sen. Specter is talking about and I’d be really interested in what specific instances that they didn’t tell him the truth, and if he thinks that they didn’t tell him the truth, why didn’t he complain about it at that time.”

With his customary stinging sarcasm, McCain offered this reason why Specter is choosing now to bad -mouth the agency: “I’m sure it’s coincidental that he has had these epiphanies since changing parties.”

Undeterred by his former GOP colleague, Specter sent letters today to CIA Director Leon Panetta and several others, according to CNN, “panning the agency’s record on congressional briefing accounts.”

“From my experience on the Senate Intelligence Committee, which I chaired in the 104th Congress, I found there were frequent disputes as to whether the CIA did the requisite briefings; and, if they did, whether the briefing was adequate….Such controversies could be resolved by having the briefings transcribed,” Specter wrote.

Specter may be at the far end of the committee table for now, but he’s still got clout - a fact which he is working hard to make sure his new Dem friends notice.