By Bill White

Meanwhile, I've been following the Charlie Dent-Siobhan Bennett congressional race with interest, mostly chuckling at her campaign's wacky e-mails and other activities, such as blasting him for 'refusing'' to attend Musikfest, asking for a clean campaign pledge while she's calling him names, and accusing him of ducking her because he had been ''dodging'' her debate challenge for 12 days in August. Bennett's blunderbuss must be smoking.

The goofiest was the press release I received last Friday.

''Dent Lets Jobs Drive Away From Mack Trucks,'' was the headline.

''Yesterday, 1,500 Lehigh Valley workers found out that they may lose their jobs, when Mack Trucks announced with no notice that it will be closing its Allentown headquarters and sending good-paying jobs to North Carolina. Republican Congressman Charles W. Dent has accepted thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from Mack Trucks Vice Chairman and former CEO, Paul Vikner. But, Dent did nothing to promote incentives to keep these Mack Trucks jobs right here in the Lehigh Valley."

''Lehigh Valley families who are already struggling to afford gas, groceries and healthcare will soon be with out a paycheck, but Dent will still get his $169,000 salary paid for by these taxpayers,'says Kathryn Seck, Bennett Campaign Manager. 'Maybe he's just too wrapped with lobbyist fundraisers in Washington to know what's going on in his own district. Or did he know about it, tell no one, and do nothing?'''

Yeah, I'm sure that's it.

By all accounts, Mack's departure blindsided everyone. Mack President and Chief Executive Dennis R. Slagle said the company didn't give Pennsylvania a chance to make a pitch to retain it -- ''we felt it would be futile,'' he said -- preferring to keep the move quiet until the announcement.

Mike Moore, city communication director, told me, ''We didn't even have a chance. They made the decision in a vacuum.''

And blaming Dent wasn't the only flight of fancy. Reports indicate that the net loss of Lehigh Valley jobs will be about 600, not 1,500. They weren't even in the ballpark.

I called Seck, who claimed no one really knew how many jobs might be involved. To justify blaming Dent for Mack's departure, she cited those campaign contributions and his votes that she said have resulted in jobs being sent overseas.

Let's just say it was unconvincing.

Believe me, I don't begrudge Bennett the opportunity to bash her opponent, for the economy or anything else. As a fairly reliable supporter of perhaps the worst president in history, Dent deserves to take his lumps. This promises to be a tough election for Republicans all over.

Still, I think it would be nice if her attacks had some relationship to the facts. So far, Bennett's campaign is driving down BS Boulevard.

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Bill White's commentary appears Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

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