Pa. Senate Hopefuls Exchange Barbs

Sen. Rick Santorum , R-Pa., meets with with Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., left, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, second right, and Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., at the conclusion of a press conference in Philadelphia on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2006. Santorum's Republican colleagues visited Pennsylvania Wednesday, to support to him in his nationally watched campaign against Democratic challenger Pennsylvania State Treasurer Bob Casey in the midterm election. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) (Matt Rourke - AP)

Santorum quoted the opening passage, in which Churchill said English-speaking peoples "allowed the wicked to rearm."

The senator gave his 40-minute speech in the heart of Pennsylvania's conservative center.

"I believe people in this community, as well as people throughout the central part of the state, understand this threat and are willing to listen to people who tell them the truth, as opposed to folks who want to just sleepwalk through this problem," he said.

Casey was interviewed by the AP on a broad range of subjects. Casey, who like Santorum opposes abortion rights, said that the issue would not be his top priority if he's elected to the U.S. Senate, but that he might support bills that further restrict a woman's access to an abortion.

Casey said he would instead would focus on health care and job creation.

On the Iraq war, Casey said many people would have "doubts about the veracity" of President Bush's statement Tuesday that "absolutely, we're winning" the Iraq war.

He said he favors setting benchmarks to determine when U.S. troops should be brought home. He also repeated his contention that the number of special forces should be doubled and that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld should be fired.

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Associated Press writer Kimberly Hefling in Philadelphia contributed to this report.