Casey vouches for Obama's values

When Sen. Barack Obama’s remarks about “bitter” Pennsylvanians tumbled into public view, he turned quickly to the politician whose family name is synonymous with the working-class, culturally-conservative voters Obama had inadvertently insulted: Sen. Bob Casey Jr.

Obama needed his character witness.

Casey, the son of a former Pennsylvania governor who bucked the Democratic Party establishment and had endorsed two weeks earlier, took a call from Obama Friday night, April 11, after his comment became public. They talked again Saturday. By Sunday morning, Casey went on CNN to defend Obama. Later in the day, Casey stood by him as he lit into Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton for capitalizing on the comment.

“I have had support from places in Pennsylvania where Democrats don’t usually get support — I knew would be the subject of a lot of attacks,” Casey said in an interview last week. “But I knew that it didn’t in any way reflect his values, his attitudes.”

At first, the Casey endorsement was simply a pleasant surprise for Obama.

Now, it’s his life vest.

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