After considering factors such as character, resume and judicial philosophy, and listening to Roberts' testimony before the Judiciary Committee, "I would vote to confirm him," Casey said in a statement issued by his campaign.

Casey's decision erases a potential contrast with incumbent Republican Sen. Rick Santorum, who says he will vote for Roberts when the Senate takes up the nomination today. Roberts is expected to be confirmed.

But it puts Casey at odds with some of the same liberal interest groups that are actively working on his behalf, including the AFL-CIO and MoveOn.org, which sharply criticizes Roberts in one section of its Web site and seeks contributions for Casey in another.

Several groups opposed to Roberts - MoveOn.org, the state AFL-CIO, and NARAL Pro-Choice Pennsylvania - did not return phone calls yesterday seeking comment.

The Santorum campaign and one of Casey's Democratic challengers, University of the Arts professor Chuck Pennacchio, who opposes Roberts, offered similar reactions yesterday. In an increasingly frequent line of attack, they said Casey's stance on Roberts shows yet again how Casey, who opposes abortion, gun control and federal funding of embryonic stem cell research beyond current levels, is scarcely different from Santorum.

The comparison is "wildly erroneous," said Casey's campaign manager, Jay Reiff.

"Using their twisted logic, the Democratic senators voting for Judge Roberts, like Senators Leahy, Landrieu and Feingold, must be the same as Santorum, too," Reiff said. "The assertion is ridiculous given all the differences between Bob Casey and Rick Santorum on myriad of issues, such as Social Security, the federal deficit and Iraq."

Berwood Yost, a pollster with Franklin and Marshall College, said Casey's choice is politically safe.

"Opposing Roberts runs a broader risk of alienating people who are in the middle," Yost said. "Pennsylvania voters are moderate."

Yost said the bigger challenge for Casey and other Democrats could be deciding on the next nominee, who will replace Sandra Day O'Connor, the court's key swing vote. Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean and several Democratic senators have already talked of filibustering the candidate.

"This one was a no-brainer, and it still seemed difficult for Casey to take a position," said Dan Ronayne, spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

Casey was unavailable to comment yesterday. But through Reiff, Casey said he was initially concerned that Roberts would "bring an ideological agenda to the bench."

"Based on his testimony and statements, Bob Casey believes Judge Roberts adequately addressed this concern," Reiff said.

Casey used several benchmarks to reach his decision, Reiff said, including academic credentials, legal experience, and judicial temperament and philosophy. He declines to use an ideological litmus test, but does consider whether the nominee sits within the political mainstream, Reiff said.

"Judge Roberts is clearly a conservative, but it would be difficult to argue he is out of the mainstream," he said.

By Carrie Budoff, Philadelphia Inquirer, Sep 29, 2005

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