With a swagger certainly perfected during his years as a major-league baseball pitcher with enough talent to make the Hall of Fame, Bunning can captivate a room, stare down a political opponent, forcefully debate his positions and - boy, do I know this - offer unsolicited advice on how the media can better do its job.

But at a time when he is asking the voters to return him to office and his actions and record are under the intense scrutiny of a statewide campaign, Bunning is hiding behind security and ducking his opponent.

Bunning, a Southgate Republican, is demanding police protection while traveling the state for fear of a terrorist attack. At the same time, he is refusing to debate his Democratic challenger, state Sen. Daniel Mongiardo.

Is that any way for a senator to act?

Mongiardo's camp has thrown out some wild claims in this campaign, but they absolutely nailed it when they called Bunning's security detail "bizarre."

Mongiardo is convinced Bunning is more terrified of voters and reporters than terrorists.

"Jim Bunning is afraid of answering to the people," Mongiardo said during last week's Guidugli family picnic. "He wanted security around him not to have to answer reporters and not to have to answer to the people of Kentucky, and I think that's a shame.

"It's typical of someone who has his type of arrogance," he said.

Bunning and his handlers are miffed with Mongiardo and the Democrats for spreading what they claim are false rumors about Bunning's health. And they don't want to give Mongiardo the additional exposure that debates would bring, particularly when Bunning has huge advantages in fund-raising and polling numbers.

But shouldn't an incumbent senator who has the confidence and conviction of Bunning look forward to - and even enjoy - going after what has turned out to be an aggressive and even vitriolic adversary?

And more important, doesn't Bunning owe it to the voters to stand before them and take tough questions about his record?

Where are the Republicans on this one? Why aren't they pounding on Bunning to debate? We all know that if Democrat Nick Clooney were refusing to debate Republican Geoff Davis in the 4th District race, the GOP would be all over Clooney for dodging Davis. Yet we hear nothing from Republican leaders on this topic.

Bunning should have nothing to fear over debating, and the possibility of a terrorist attack is pretty remote.

So why is he running scared?

---

E-mail pcrowley@enquirer.com. Crowley interviews Campbell Circuit Judge candidate Steve Franzen this week on ICN6's "On The Record," which is broadcast daily on Insight Communications Channel 6.