Republican challenger Steve Sauerberg accused incumbent U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin of endangering troops in Iraq by criticizing the treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, prompting an outraged response from Durbin as the two debated Thursday night.
''I don't know where the bottom is anymore in your campaign. Why don't you debate the issues?'' Durbin said. ''Common decency still works.''
''It does still work,'' Sauerberg shot back, ''and you should have shown it in your remarks about our troops.''
The two also differed sharply on how to respond to the nation's economic turmoil, with Sauerberg calling for corporate tax cuts and minimal government regulation. Durbin defended the recently approved $700 billion bailout package and said Congress should do more to minimize future busts in the financial system.
Durbin portrayed Sauerberg as risky on health care, saying the Willowbrook physician would gut the Medicare and Medicaid systems for a dangerous new approach. Sauerberg said he would offer government aid for people to go out and buy health insurance on their own, much as they now buy auto insurance.
Durbin, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate, is seeking a third term, arguing that he has both the clout and the policies to help Illinoisans.
But Sauerberg, a newcomer to politics, describes Durbin as one of the true insiders who has contributed to failure and gridlock in Washington.
Thursday night's hour-long clash at Galesburg's Knox College was the only full-length debate of the Senate race. They debated for 25 minutes earlier this week on Chicago public television and met privately with the Chicago Tribune editorial board.
During that Tribune meeting, Sauerberg apologized for campaign statements questioning Durbin's patriotism. ''I apologize for any offense,'' he said then.
But he took a far more confrontational tone in Thursday's debate, saying he apologizes for hurting Durbin's feelings but not for his criticism.
''I do not apologize for bringing to the attention of the people of the United States of America his behaviors that I think have probably led to possibly more troop hazard in Iraq than if he hadn't made them,'' Sauerberg said. ''This emboldens the enemy. This probably puts our soldiers in danger.''
Sauerberg was largely referring to a comment Durbin made in 2005 saying prisoners at Guantanamo Bay were receiving treatment that sounded like something ''done by Nazis, Soviets in their gulags or some mad regime.'' The comment made no reference to U.S. troops.
Durbin soon apologized, while maintaining his remark was never directed at American soldiers and sailors. He said Thursday night that he stands by that early criticism of the Bush administration.
He also called it ''reaching very, very low'' to question an opponent's patriotism.
On the economy, Durbin said Congress needs to step up regulation of the nation's financial system so that future cycles of boom and bust don't cause turmoil. He said the $700 billion bailout was approved because Congress had to choose between doing nothing or doing something and it chose to take action.
But Sauerberg said Congress should have taken smarter action. He said cutting corporate taxes or imposing a moratorium on capital gains taxes would have spurred more investment as financial institutions struggle. He said it would be a mistake for the government to step in and take action on pension funds that are quickly losing value.
''People shouldn't panic,'' said Sauerberg. ''The stock market will come back. Things will come back over time.''
Durbin, a Springfield resident, accused Sauerberg of offering ''a radical, unworkable idea'' for health care. He said Sauerberg would leave people on their own to find health care, whether they can afford it or not.
Sauerberg responded that, under his plan, people would either get tax credits or vouchers to pay for insurance, but Durbin said people either wouldn't get enough aid to buy insurance or the nation would have to shell out immense amounts of money.