It's a consistent, unequivocal position. To resign now or (absent some bombshell) at any point during his campaign would raise questions about his personal beliefs and political judgment.
Yes, there are calls for, and arguments made in favor of, his stepping down.
Democrats called Corbett partisan for charging a dozen in their party and no Republicans during Round 1 of his investigation in July 2008.
That call is now hollow. Corbett just charged 10 Republicans, including Philly's own John Perzel and former Perzel chief of staff Brian Preski.
Next came barking from the other side of the fence.
Corbett's GOP primary opponent, Philly suburban Rep. Jim Gerlach, tagged Corbett for conflict of interest, saying that he can't investigate Republican lawmakers as he seeks their support for the gubernatorial nomination.
Yeah, see, except for the fact that he can, has and does.
And, if Gerlach is so interested in political purity, maybe he should resign from Congress rather than ride the benefits of incumbency while he runs for governor.
Democratic candidate Tom Knox, who thinks that anyone holding office should resign if running for a different office, targeted Corbett specifically last week, claiming that there's a "perception" that Corbett's actions are "calculated to benefit his campaign."
What politician's actions are not calculated to benefit their campaigns?
And Corbett's defense on timing is simple: "Justice doesn't have a timetable" (excluding, I assume, certain statutes of limitation).
I'm not arguing that Corbett's squeaky clean.
My Daily News colleague Chris Brennan reported - on the day that Corbett charged Perzel and Preski - that Corbett had met privately with Perzel in a hotel in October 2007 during the investigation and that Preski arranged a fundraiser for Corbett shortly thereafter.
