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Casey comes out swinging

By Alison Hawkes For The 5 min read

HARRISBURG – U.S. Senate candidate Bob Casey Jr.’s gentle voice and demeanor may make him seem, at times, too soft for hardball politics. A Philadelphia Daily News editorial this week said Pennsylvania’s former auditor general and now state treasurer has “stultifying cadence.” And Casey has been roundly criticized for hiding behind issues rather than slugging it out with his powerful GOP opponent, incumbent Sen. Rick Santorum.

But on Monday at a Pennsylvania Press Club luncheon, Casey came out swinging. He said Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld “should have been fired a long time ago,” and called for open hearings into “how and why we were misled in the lead up to Iraq.” With gas prices averaging a record $3.02 per gallon, Casey berated Santorum for giving subsidies to oil companies and “stuff(ing) his pockets with hundreds of thousands of campaign contributions from big oil” instead of working towards energy independence.

Casey, 46 of Scranton, is perhaps best known for being the son of former Gov. Bob Casey Sr. and for achieving the highest vote count in Pennsylvania history at 3 million votes in 2004 for treasurer.

Now he is trying to starkly contrast himself with Santorum – despite their similar views on abortion, guns, and stem cell research – by aligning his opponent with what he deems the failing policies of an increasingly unpopular President Bush.

“When two public officials agree 98 percent of the time, one of them is not necessary,” said Casey to a chuckling audience.

The strategy may be working. Polls continue to show Casey in the lead, the latest by Strategic Vision last week put Casey 10 points ahead.

But Santorum’s campaign press secretary, Virginia Davis, objected to Casey’s characterization of the two-term senator. She said Santorum outlined new policy to tamp Iran’s nuclear ambitions that contrasts with the Bush administration, and stood up to the Administration against the Dubai port deal in Philadelphia.

Santorum also drove $100 million in federal money towards a waste coal-to-gas plant in Northeastern Pennsylvania in an effort to advance energy independence she said. She didn’t dispute the campaign contributions from oil donors, but said: “He is an independent voice, regardless of who makes contributions to him.”

“If Bob Casey wants to put up his rhetoric against Rick Santorum’s record, we’ll fight that fight any day of the week,” Davis said.

Casey outlined his chief issues in the campaign:

? Increase the federal minimum wage.

? Reduce the federal deficit from $296 billion by removing tax cuts to the richest 1 percent.

? Provide health insurance to 8 million children living without.

? Work towards achieving complete energy independence through alternative energy.

Asked about whether he would introduce legislation that restricts a woman’s right to an abortion, Casey demurred, saying he has these other priorities.

Casey reserved his harshest critique for Santorum’s handling of foreign policy, saying as the third ranking Republican member of the U.S. Senate, he should have challenged the Bush administration on Iraq and other issues.

“No tough questions have been asked by Rick Santorum,” Casey said. “He never asked the question about whether or not our troops had the ammunition and the armor they needed. He didn’t ask a question about whether or not our troops had enough allies to take on this fight. He was full of questions in 1999 when it was Kosovo and a different president and a different war.”

Instead, Santorum is criticizing the press for reporting the body count, Casey said.

“The body count, that’s what he’s worried about. The spin was wrong on the war in Iraq,” Casey added with mild sarcasm. “Pennsylvania lost 123 lives in Iraq and hundreds of people are wounded … I think the body count is pretty damn important …”

Casey took a pass on directly answering a question about federal funding for embryonic stem cell research but did say the government could harness private sector money by giving incentives, which he didn’t name.

He also took a decidedly pro-Administration stance on the recent Israel-Lebanon conflict, saying “Israel had every right to defend itself,” and Hezbollah could reduce the crisis by releasing the Israeli hostages.

As for the U.S.’s protection from terrorism, Casey said the 9-11 Commission report outlining 41 recommendations for better homeland security should be fully implemented.

When asked how all his initiatives would lower the federal debt, Casey said removing the tax cuts on the wealthiest Americans would bring back hundreds of billions, as would establishing an independent commission to root out waste and fraud in government. Removing corporate welfare would save up to $250 billion over 10 years, he said.

Casey also responded to Santorum calling him “a thug” on a Pittsburgh radio station after a Democratic campaign manager presumably stepped onto his Penn Hills property and declared the home empty.

Santorum lives with his family on the outskirts of Washington when the Senate is in session most of the year, which has caused him considerable political consternation.

Davis said Santorum was “extremely frustrated” at the idea of Casey people “snooping around his house.” Casey, who said he planned to keep living in Scranton if elected, joked: “It was insulting, particularly to the real thugs out there who earned that title.”

Santorum is scheduled to speak at the Press Club at the end of August.

Alison Hawkes can be reached at 717-705-6330 or ahawkes@calkins-media.com.

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