Nation

摘要

It is probably impolite to say that the U.S. Senate campaign in Kansas pits a geezer against a ghost. But that's the quickest way to the heart of a race that matters more with each passing day. With the nation in a sour mood and a bunch of vulnerable Democrats up for re-election, Republicans are increasingly confident that they can win control of the Senate. That is, if Kansas doesn't get in the way. That's where Senator Pat Roberts, a Republican seeking a fourth term, finds himself haunted by a much younger foe. Roberts, 78, debates Greg Orman, who is a perky 45, with the exasperated annoyance of a man shooing the neighbor's dog out of his delphinium bed. Orman is running as a can-do independent, invoking a pox on both parties. Roberts isn't buying it. "He's a liberal Democrat!" he declares again and again, a little gruffer and grouchier each time.