Collins on Allen

The Collins camp responds to the Allen announcement:

Republican Senator Susan Collins' re-election campaign is highlighting her work across party lines and expresses confidence she'll beat Democratic challenger Tom Allen as the congressman announces his candidacy for her Senate seat.

Maine Republican Party State Chairman Mark Ellis contrasts the records of the two.

Ellis points to Collins' sponsorship of legislation that implemented recommendations of the 9/11 commission, and postal reform legislation that established predictable rates.

Ellis says Allen's been unwilling to break ranks with his party during his decade in Congress.

Okay, but I'm a bit confused.

Is the point supposed to be that Allen opposed implementing the 9/11 commission recommendations? I'm almost certain that isn't the case.

Is Ellis arguing, instead, that Collins bucked her party by backing the commissions recommendations? That's not right either because the key piece of legislation passed 89-2.

As for Collins' maverick role in the postal reform legislation debate, well, I'm baffled: I can understand why Ellis might want to distract voters from Collins' record of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the President on the major issues of our time.

But if that's the best they could come up with for an opening salvo--if the junior senator's backers think Maine voters are more concerned about the $.41 postage stamp than the war in Iraq--then they're deeper in denial than I'd thought.