THIS IS NOT ->Delawareliberal

Not only is the Lamont campaign showing that incumbents who are cozy with the President have a BIG target on them - but now we hear from Delawaregrapevine that Castle admitted to trying to throw sand Dennis Spivack's gear box.

Read this and tell me Castle is not feeling the heat.

The long arm of Mike Castle

U.S. Rep. Michael N. Castle has been out of Dover for 14 years, but the two-term Republican ex-governor still knows how to kill a bill. (snip)

Before Castle intervened, it looked in June as though the Democrats and Republicans had found common ground on legislation that would prohibit "fusion" candidates -- people running on more than one ticket.

There was nothing in state law to prevent it. The bill proposed that candidates be allowed to file only with the party where they were registered. It would mean no more dual candidates like Karen M. Hartley-Nagle, currently running for the U.S. House of Representatives on the tickets of the Democratic Party and the Independent Party of Delaware.

From the perspective of the major parties, dual candidates were gaming the system. Hartley-Nagle could lose the Democratic primary to Dennis Spivack, the endorsed candidate, as widely expected, but still be around for the general election as a minor-party candidate.

The bill looked like a lock. Then the bill stalled. Castle had done it in.

Castle did not want the law in place for the 2006 election, or it could thwart Harley-Nagle's "fusion" filing. Celia continues with surprising candor:

Castle's motivation, however, was not entirely out of a civics book.

He is running for his eighth term this year. Although he typically swats away his Democratic opponents, he was not above making a little mischief for the other side by undermining the bill and forcing Spivack to deal with in a primary.

"Anything I can do to put little roadblocks in the way," Castle said cheerfully.

Yuckity yuck, yuck. Celia caught his ass and tries to cover up the sound of his knees knocking with a little "joke".

There you have it. Castle is running scared. Oh, How I would love to see his internal polling. He is still, no doubt, in front. But if this story says anything it says that he not ahead by much.