Bob Casey Jr.: Wolf or Sheep?

If one was asked to describe the true beliefs of Bob Casey Jr., it would be difficult. Casey does not follow any detectable pattern and that can leave voters wondering what he really stands for.

In one aspect, Casey is attractive to conservative voters with his pro-life stand and support of the traditional definition of marriage. Yet like a cheating spouse, he accepts the role of keynote speaker at a homosexual lobby group's fund-raising dinner in Philadelphia. It leaves everyone scratching their heads and rewriting the definition of Bob Casey Jr. Is he a pro-life conservative, democrat who will uphold his Catholic beliefs, or is he more liberal and willing to do whatever it takes to appeal to the widest possible audience?

Associated Press reported Feb.19 that immediately before Casey spoke, a short film was shown on two large video screens asking for help in beating Santorum and featuring Santorum's picture beside quotes from an April 2003 interview with the Associated Press in which he compared homosexuality to bigamy, polygamy, incest and adultery. In his remarks, Casey promised to "fight discrimination wherever I find it" and criticized Santorum's positions as "intolerant."Those "intolerant" ideas, as Casey calls them, are the teaching of the Catholic Church that Bob Casey Jr. Is a member.

In 2003, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith released a document entitled "Considerations Regarding Proposals to Give Legal Recognition to Unions Between Homosexual Persons." It states that all forms of homosexual unions are immoral and must always be opposed by Catholics, and it stresses that "Catholic politicians are obliged to do so in a particular way, in keeping with their responsibility as politicians".

In many ways it's his father, former Pennsylvania Gov. Robert Casey who is running again. Many are attaching the values of Casey's father to Bob Casey Jr. That could be a dangerous assumption to make. There is no indication that Bob Casey Jr. will be the man his father was.

Casey has said that he "certainly tries" to be a faithful Catholic, but he does not believe that his actions as a public official should always conform to church teachings. That's in stark contrast to his incumbent opponent Sen. Rick Santorum, who is also Catholic.

Santourm is a consistent pro-life and pro-family voice. He opposes both homosexual "marriage" and civil unions and has not flinched in the cries of "intolerance".

Mr. Casey owes voters a clear picture of who he is and what he believes. He also owes fellow Catholics a promise to adhere to the moral teachings of the church or withdrawal immediately from calling himself "Catholic" so that we all may cast an informed vote.