Pennsylvania Becoming Ground Zero For Controversy?

The Secret Service says it cannot corroborate reports that a supporter of John McCain's shouted "kill him" in response to a mention of Barack Obama's name at a recent Sarah Palin rally in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Secret Service Agent Bill Slavski, told the Scranton Times-Tribune that agents interviewed more than 20 people who attended the rally and none of them heard those words. "We could not find one person to say they heard the same thing," Slavski told the paper.

The incident was originally reported by Times-Tribune reporter David Singleton and the paper's managing editor Lawrence K. Beaupre said they stand by their report, saying of the reporter, "he heard what he heard. He reported what he heard."

Also in Pennsylvania, Congressman John Murtha is apologizing for a comment he made to the Pittsburgh Tribune Review in which he raised concerns over racial attitudes in the western part of the state. "There is no question that western Pennsylvania is a racist area," Murtha told the paper while insisting that Obama would still win the state. In a statement released today, Murtha apologized, saying, "while we cannot deny that race is a factor in this election, I believe we've been able to look beyond race these past few months, and that voters today are concerned with the policy differences of our two candidates and their vision for the future of our great country."