The Navy card

In the fights in the Senate race over the past week over small business -- and the Sestak camp's claim that Pat Toomey was not a hands-on restaurateur -- the Toomey camp has regularly riposted by saying Sestak (a former Navy admiral who was elected to Congress in 2006) has "never spent a day in the public sector."

Today, the congressman's brother and campaign manager, Rich Sestak, issued a statement saying he is offended at that line, and that it's a shot at the Democrat's military background.

Here it is:

Last night on Larry Kane's Voice of Reason, Congressman Toomey said, "Joe's never spent a day of his life in the private sector. Never created a job." This followed a comment from his spokeswoman last week that Joe would understand the situation of Congressman Toomey's career "if he had spent even one day working in a small business."

I am offended by the Toomey campaign's assertion that fighting on behalf of our country in the United States Navy is less important than making money on Wall Street. Joe was born and raised in a working Pennsylvania family. He is proud of his 31 years serving his country in the US Navy. He's proud that his service, and that of millions of other PA veterans and active duty military personnel, has helped protect our way of life and allow people like Pat Toomey to make a good living on Wall Street.