WASHINGTON (AP) - Sen. Arlen Specter wants an independent investigation of the Patriots' taping of opposing coaches' signals similar to the Mitchell Report on performance enhancing drugs in baseball. Specter again criticized the league's handling of the investigation and threatened the possibility of revoking the NFL's antitrust exemption during a news conference Wednesday. The senior Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee met with former New England video assistant Matt Walsh a day earlier. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell indicated he considered the investigation over after meeting with Walsh on Tuesday. "Everybody pooh-poohs it," Specter said. "It's ridiculous to make that kind of contention." Specter, from Pennsylvania, cited the fact a Patriots attorney sat in on Walsh's meeting with Goodell as proof the investigation has not been impartial. "It's an insult to the intelligence of the people who follow it." If the NFL condones cheating, Specter said, it encourages others to cheat. "They owe the public a lot more candor and a lot more credibility," he said.

Wow. All I can say is "wow." I really thought that when the NFL said there was nothing more to SpyGate, when the Herald said there was nothing more to it,when Matt Frickin' Walsh said there was nothing more to it, Arlen Specter (R-Comcast) was going to go stand behind the bank of microphones and say "Whoops! Sooo-rrry! My bad. I thought there was something going on here but I guess I sorta had my head up my ass. I was blinded by all the Eagles and Steelers fans who are registered voters and all the money I get from the cable TV lobbyists and I guess I've been wasting everyone's time. Boy do I feel stupid. Sorry, Patriots!"

But no. The old coot is still pissed off. So pissed off in fact he can't articulate what is pissing him off, just that he's determined to be pissed off and he's not going to let a little thing like the truth get in the way. Matt Walsh failed to produce anything the Pats hadn't 'fessed up to (except for the shots of the Chargers cheerleaders... nice work there, Spielberg) but Sen. Sphincter is still seeing conspiracies everywhere. The Patriots cheated! I know they did! It's a coverup, man! 9/11 was an inside job! The moon landing was filmed in a TV studio! Area 51! They saved Hitler's brain! Don't tase me, bro!!!

I mean, how can you even refute his claims when he doesn't make any? How can you argue his logic in the absence of any logic? What's his beef, that a lawyer from the Patriots was in the room during the meeting? Does he think the Pats lawyer use a Jedi mind trick on Goodell? And since when does a lawmaker have a problem with lawyers being around? Isn't that like a fry cook hating fat people? And what's this business about "condoning" cheating? Did I miss something or didn't the Pats lose a 1st round pick and three quarts of Belichick's blood? Missing in all this too is any mention of the fact that not only did the Patriots NOT spy on the Rams, the Rams spied on them, as reported by the Stool back in February. For some reason I can't remember Arlen Specter screaming for an investigation into it, questioning Mike Martz integrity, suggesting their Super Bowl win over Tennessee was tainted or claiming that the NFL was covering up for St. Louis. Of course he'd never pull such and obvious, grandstanding ploy.

So which is it? Is Specter really loony enough to believe what he's saying or is he just rotten to the core? Vote "1" for "Nuts" and "10" for "Evil."