Now that U.S. Sen. Robert Casey has endorsed Sen. Barack Obama for president, he might be expecting some nasty words from the Clinton campaign. Casey had been wooed by both campaigns, and his Friday endorsement is expected to carry some weight among Catholic voters.

Casey must know that a high-profile endorsement for Obama risks vitriol from the Clinton campaign. Despite the fact that national politics is tough business, Team Clinton plays a particularly mean and personal game of politics.

About a week ago, when New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson announced his endorsement of Obama, Clinton campaign adviser James Carville called the former Clinton cabinet member's support for Obama an "act of betrayal." Carville compared Richardson, the former energy secretary and ambassador to the United Nations, to Judas, adding that it was symbolic that his endorsement came during Holy Week.

Carville's remarks are yet another reminder of the Clinton campaign's nastiness toward anyone who dares to support Obama.

Richardson, to his credit, refused to strike back in the same negative tone, adding that he wouldn't "get in the gutter like that." He did, however, point out what many people have noticed about Team Clinton, that "they have a sense of entitlement to the presidency."

It's one thing to run a spirited campaign on issues, but the Clinton campaign can't seem to avoid coming across as nasty, win-at-any-cost politicians. And that image only reinforces Obama's message that Americans want change, a new kind of politics — and a new breed of politicians.

The Butler County commissioners are right in attempting to keep topics not related to the meeting agenda from muddling the progress of meetings.Therefore, the decision to limit a public-comment period near the beginning of meetings to agenda topics while setting aside time near the end of meetings for discussion about any county government-related topic makes good sense.There's also nothing wrong with the commissioners' decision to limit comments to three minutes each during the latter session, just as occurs during the earlier public comment period — so meetings don't become bogged down.Certainly the commissioners have the right to waive that time limit when they deem that to be necessary.While not everyone agrees with the change as approved — one man criticized it at the meeting Wednesday at which the commissioners made the change — it can be construed as a tool for efficiency while not denying anyone the opportunity to speak.Indeed, all county residents have the right to address the commissioners, and the commissioners should treat those who choose to speak with respect, whether or not they agree with what they have to say.At the same time, those who speak should address the commissioners in a respectful way in recognition of their office and authority.The new policy is correct and, in fact, should have been implemented sooner.

Economic development often involves luring an existing business from another part of the state or nation. But another way to improve the local economy is to help new businesses get started and help small businesses grow.That seems to be the approach behind an effort by Slippery Rock University to boost the local economy by helping entrepreneurs create companies, while developing an academic program.The university announced recently that it is looking for business ideas from faculty, staff and students. And with the help of $25,000 from the university's foundation, Professor John Misner hopes to help nurture one or more of those ideas into businesses.SRU is creating an entrepreneurship minor, and there are plans to link that program with a business incubator to be developed by the university, the foundation and the Community Development Corporation of Butler County.The SRU efforts are being modeled after successful business spin-offs from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. And although SRU does not have the high-profile computer sciences or robotics program of CMU, the concept of tapping university resources and expertise to help create businesses is sound and has worked elsewhere.SRU and Misner, a former investment banker, deserve support for advancing the idea of a business incubator and an entrepreneurship minor to educate students — and possibly boost the local economy.It's often been said that entrepreneurs are born, not made. But there are certain skills and invaluable experiences that can be learned along the way to create a successful business. SRU's plans to develop a program focusing on entrepreneurship and helping locally generated ideas become viable companies is a smart move and a win-win situation.