Bob Casey for Senate

As much as Bob Casey may claim, this election is not about electing Bob Casey to the U.S. Senate.

This election is about removing Rick Santorum from it.

Santorum, a two-term senator, is passionate and works hard for Pennsylvania. He has delivered, with major funding appropriations - and is in a position to become the No. 2 Republican leader in the senate if control remains in the GOP's hands.

He is a young, fiery leader who is never afraid to speak his mind. But for most voters, that's the problem: What Santorum does and says is often just downright scary.

From comparing homosexual acts to man-on-dog sex to declaring that WMDs were found in Iraq (later refuted by the Defense Department), much of what he says speaks to the worst inside people; the xenophobia and homophobia he has displayed reflects sentiments that many hoped would have disappeared decades ago.

Much of Pennsylvania - especially outside Philadelphia and Allegeny counties - is true Republican territory.

But Santorum is so far right that he can't possibly deserve to represent all of Pennsylvania anymore. Santorum simply can't be allowed to speak for the Keystone State any longer.

And as the third-ranking senator on Capitol Hill, Santorum shares blame for some of the lobbying scandals that have plagued Congress this year. Santorum even faced his own scandal when it was revealed that Pennsylvania taxpayers footed the bill for his children's education, even though his family reside in Virginia.

He has yet to release IRS records showing where he claims primary residence.

Pennsylvania will pay a price for losing such a high-ranking member of the Senate's ruling party. However, it's a price Pennsylvanians should be willing to pay to remove such an extreme voice from power.

Casey, for his part, isn't a bad replacement.

He certainly won't please a lot of Democrats with his pro-life stance on abortion and his support for the war in Iraq. However, they can find comfort in trying to put control of the Senate in the hands of Democrats.

The entire state can be proud of electing a man who very much represents the median views of Pennsylvania.

And, until spending much of his time campaigning for Senate, he did an excellent job as state treasurer, saving taxpayers $1 billion.

Santorum has been an embarrassment to the state and the nation, and Bob Casey should be the man to replace him.

The Opposition

As we said in Casey's endorsement, this election is mostly about Rick Santorum.

To his credit, he has been great for Pennsylvania. He has been a rising star in the Senate and would become the chamber's second-ranking Republican.

Even Gov. Ed Rendell rightly told media sources "Santorum delivers." And deliver he does.

This is about a senator who often seems to be out ahead (read: right) of even President Bush on policy issues.

Even after a major gaffe when Santorum claimed that weapons of mass destruction had been found in Iraq, Santorum has now been publicly pushing Iran as the next target in the war on terror.

Santorum's far-right, socially conservative agenda is out of touch with Pennsylvania and much of the nation.

Pennsylvania has a long tradition of moderate senators - such as Arlen Specter. Santorum doesn't fit that profile, and it's time Pennsylvania show him the door.

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