Santorum, Casey spar over Iraq war in first debate

WASHINGTON - Sen. Rick Santorum said in a debate Sunday that the Iraq war was one of necessity in a broader global fight, but Democrat Bob Casey accused Santorum of not holding the administration accountable.

"We need new leadership," said Casey.

In a sometimes testy exchange, Santorum, the No. 3 Senate Republican, charged that his opponent in Pennsylvania's Senate race is not taking stands on issues. He said Casey has criticized procedure in Iraq, rather than recognizing that the war is one front in a multilayered fight against "Islamic fascism."

"I believe Iraq was a serious and grave danger to America," Santorum said.

Casey said the number of Special Forces troops should be doubled. He said he was not ready to "abandon this mission" by setting a timetable for troop withdrawal, and he acknowledged that with the evidence available in the lead-up to the 2003 invasion, he would have voted for the war.

Still, he criticized Santorum for his emphasis on calling the war on terror one against "Islamic fascism."

"What we need, Rick, is not a change in terminology, we need to change the tactics," said Casey, the state treasurer. "Even as you're debating whether we call Osama Bin Laden a terrorist or a fascist, I don't think that really matters."

Read the rest at the San Jose Mercury News