Mo. Republican governor's debate gets testy

10:16 PM CDT on Wednesday, July 23, 2008 SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) -- U.S. Rep. Kenny Hulshof fought back in a Wednesday night debate against what he derided as a "relentless, constant barrage of attack" by Republican gubernatorial rival Sarah Steelman, countering her portrayal of him as a big spender by casting her as an ally of Big Oil. The televised debate, coming less than two weeks before the Aug. 5 primary election, provided some of the most testy exchanges so far in a campaign in which Steelman generally has been on the offensive. Steelman, the state treasurer, has pounded on two themes in recent weeks -- criticizing Hulshof for supporting wasteful spending earmarks in Congress and calling for a repeal of the state's ethanol mandate. Hulshof countered Wednesday by questioning some of Steelman's own prior actions as a state... [read full story]