Idaho Senate candidates spar

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LEWISTON, Idaho (AP) -- The three top candidates battling for Idaho's open U.S. Senate seat sparred over the nation's ailing economy, unchecked pork barrel spending and the federal deficit during a Wednesday night debate.

For the first time this election season, Republican Jim Risch shared the debate stage with Democrat Larry LaRocco and Independent Rex Rammell.

The candidates were quizzed on global warming, energy issues and homeland security, but more than half of the 60-minute debate focused on the economic troubles facing the nation at home and abroad.

Risch, serving a second term as Idaho's lieutenant governor, and Rammell, a former elk rancher from eastern Idaho, each said they would have voted against the $700 billion bailout passed by Congress last week to rescue the nation's struggling financial markets.

Risch said the legislation lacked taxpayer protections, was short of needed reforms and regulation and was loaded down with extra spending to entice wavering lawmakers.

"Credit needed to be injected into the markets, but this was no way to do it," Risch said during the debate broadcast live to a limited market in north-central Idaho.

LaRocco, who served two terms in the U.S. House before losing in 1994, said the bill was necessary to rejuvenate the economy. He said the cash infusion would ultimately help small businesses.

"I do think Americans will get their money back," LaRocco said.

LaRocco, Risch and Rammell are the three leading candidates vying for the seat occupied by Republican Larry Craig, who last year decided not to seek a fourth term after his arrest in a Minneapolis airport men's bathroom sex sting operation.

The race also includes Libertarian Kent Marmon and an Independent who has changed his name to Pro-Life.

Risch, LaRocco and Rammell agreed in principle that so-called earmarks -- the special, home-district spending projects attached by lawmakers to bigger congressional bills -- should be curtailed. But they differed on how best to do it.

LaRocco touted some projects he delivered to the region and the University of Idaho as a congressman, but he blamed Republicans and President Bush for expanding federal spending and inflating the deficit.

Risch said it's time to give the president the line-item veto and promised to back legislation banning the earmark system.

But Rammell, who characterized himself as the only true conservative in the race, blamed Republicans and accused the GOP of losing sight of its fiscal conservative roots.

"Republicans have been putting earmarks on bills for years," Rammell said. "We know where the Democrats stand. But the Republican party seems to have lost its way."

Throughout the debate, LaRocco and Rammell ganged up on Risch, the front-runner in the polls and campaign cash on hand heading into the last four weeks of the campaign.

LaRocco criticized Risch for not signing on for more than three debates and taking campaign donations from oil companies while making more drilling a key piece of his energy policy.

Risch declined several opportunities to counterpunch, but pointed out that LaRocco's personal investment portfolio includes shares in oil companies.

"It's hypocrisy for trying to claim he's better than the rest of us," Risch said.

The issue of global warming illustrated clear differences among the three.

Risch said there is no reason to question that the earth is warming, but said it remains to be seen what the best idea is for slowing the problem. He suggested measures and incentives to reduce carbon emissions and put emphasis on nuclear power.

LaRocco said he supports the full menu of alternative energy sources and suggested his plan would help create 14,000 jobs in new alternative energy industry in Idaho.

But Rammell suggested global warming is science fiction.

"I do not support this myth that man is responsible," Rammell said. "We've got bigger problems."

The debate was hosted by the Lewiston Tribune, Moscow-Pullman Daily News and KLEW-TV.

Two other debates involving Rammell, Risch and LaRocco are scheduled for Oct. 21 in Caldwell and Oct. 28 in Meridian.

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