oh, bob

it's getting hard to maintain any kind of enthusiasm for Bob Casey in this Senate race. He's up comfortably, so I don't feel all that much urgency (and I'm not particularly concerned about Republican vote-stealing, given that Kerry managed to win Pennsylvania), but every time he opens his mouth I like him less. The first issue is, of course, the abortion one: I don't like voting for a right-to-lifer, and my wife (who still excoriates me for voting Nader--in Texas!!!--in 2000) says she won't vote for Casey because of this. I'm a little tired of abortion as a make-or-break issue, and so I'm willing, if reluctant, to vote Casey. But now, Casey is really getting distasteful.

First, it's the "who hates immigrants more" duel: both Santorum and Casey run ads claiming that they are MORE anti-immigrant than the other. Then, just the other day he came out explicitly in favor of the administration's illegal warrantless wiretapping program. Interviewed by lefty Philadelphia blogger MyDD, Casey refused to address this in specific terms, choosing instead to make some meaningless comment about how we need to protect the nation.

I'm still going to vote for him, but can someone tell me how he's going to be any different than Arlen Spector?