Slick Ricky.

Well, yeah, that too.

But I'm talking about the fact that Rick Santorum has managed to keep a little problem he has from becoming a campaign issue. And it's juicy. It cuts across party lines and across ideological divides.

It seems he doesn't live in Pennsylvania anymore.

From the Post-Gazette:

Before every election, the Post-Gazette routinely sends letters to the candidates seeking material for the Voters Guide. Back in March, as part of that process for the primary, the newspaper sent a letter to Rick Santorum at his home address, at least the one that he claims. Back from Penn Hills came the letter with a sticker from the U.S. Postal Service checked as "Not Deliverable As Addressed -- Unable To Forward."

That is all you need to know about the nasty dispute between the Republican Sen. Santorum and his Democratic opponent, Bob Casey Jr., in the November election. The whole thing is rooted in one inconvenient fact for Sen. Santorum: He doesn't live here anymore.

The editorial repeated the refrain "he doesn't live here any more" twice more each time in italics. Granted, Pittsburgh is already pretty Blue, but getting this issue raised is good. Having it stated so plainly is even better.

It should also make a good TV spot for the last week of the race. Ominous voice over with pictures of Santorum with all sorts of unpopular people like Jack Abramoff. "Rick Santorum isn't good for Pennsylvania. He doesn't want to support stemcell research, he doesn't want to raise the minimum wage, and he wants to restrict..." At the end, the spot goes to a black screen with the words "He doesn't live here anymore - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette." It plays to the anti-incumbent mood in the country. It works both on a literal and figurative level.

If the Democrats can't pull out a win in a Blue state against the Senator with the lowest approval rating who also doesn't live there anymore, the party - and the country - is in real trouble.

Rick Santorum Bob Casey Pennsylvania 2006 Election