Fed up with hearing about furniture?

Television ads to the contrary, both Republican Sen. Gordon Smith and his Democratic opponent, Oregon House Speaker Jeff Merkley, have staked out policy stands on key issues, including the economy, energy and the war in Iraq, tagged by many Oregonians as their top issues.

AP photo

Rep. Jeff Merkley, D-Portland, left, is sworn in as Speaker of the House by former U.S. Sen. Mark Hatfield, center, as his wife Mary Merkley looks on Monday in Salem.

As the challenger, Merkley has the bigger mountain to climb: While Smith has a 12-year voting record to point to, Merkley has to carve out positions on national issues.

On Iraq, he's called for a complete troop pull-out over the next year, and the elimination of permanent U.S. military bases in Iraq. American contractors should also leave Iraq, he's said, to be replaced with Iraqi contractors.

"It is long past time for Iraqi forces to take responsibility for patrols and checkpoints," he said. "We must have a firm plan for withdrawal."

Merkley has also said he wants to see more efforts made at diplomacy with Iraq's neighbors, including Turkey, Iran and Syria, and the U.S. should focus its effort on building a justice system in Iraq.

The plan he's endorsing, known as the "Responsible Plan to end the War in Iraq," is endorsed by a number of Democratic candidates around the country, and several high-ranking military figures; it also calls for an increase in funding to deal with the millions of displaced Iraqis who have swollen the borders of Syria and Jordan.

He's also calling for a "much clearer set of objectives in Afghanistan," with a targeted focus on the resurgence of the Taliban, the growth of the opium trade and a focus on Al-Qaida.

AP file photo

U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) speaks on the Senate floor.

Smith has been more circumspect on the Iraq question after passionately breaking with the Bush administration over the war's direction in late 2006, though Democrats point out that he has continued to vote for war funding.

Though he has said that the U.S. should pull its troops from Iraq, Smith has said that the troop increases backed by the Bush administration did calm the situation in Iraq, a point echoed by plenty of others, including some Democrats.

And he has insisted that the Iraqi government shoulder the bulk of the responsibility for stabilizing the country, suggesting that the region's ancient rivalries are too complex for any outside nation to unravel.

Where American military resources should be concentrated is Afghanistan, Smith told The Associated Press.

"As our military commanders on the ground request more resources and troops in Afghanistan, we should provide those," he said. "That's where the Taliban is, and that's where remnants of al-Qaida have gone as they have been driven out of Iraq. Al-Qaida is our mortal enemy."

The divide is even wider between the two on economic issues. Merkley has offered a detailed economic plan, capped by a $88.7 billion proposal to cut middle class taxes.

Taking a cue from Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, he is backing a tax credit of $1,000 for every working family, and an elimination of income taxes for seniors who make less than $50,000.

Merkley's also proposed an array of other tax credits, including for those who help take care of an elderly parent, for first-time homebuyers, for child care and for college tuition.

And like many Democrats, Merkley has called for wide-ranging reforms in free-trade agreements, including the North American and Central American free trade agreements, better known as NAFTA and CAFTA, to implement more environmental and labor-friendly provisions.

He's also suggested shooting for 25 percent of the country's energy to come from renewable sources by 2025, including wind, solar and bio-fuels, as well as an increase to a 35 mile per gallon fuel standard for U.S. cars.

Smith, a longtime proponent of the free market and a steadfast vote in Congress against most new taxes, has centered his economics statements to voters on so-called "kitchen table" issues so far, like the price of gas.

"What you hear a lot about from people is the high cost of gasoline and utility bills," Smith said. "We have to reduce the cost of energy; we need more American energy, more renewable energy."

Earlier this spring, he sided with Democrats on a handful of clean energy-related bills aimed at spurring economic development, including providing tax incentives for renewable energy and a bill that would have imposed a "windfall" profit tax on oil companies. The Merkley campaign and other Democrats have countered, though, that Smith voted against similar initiatives in the past.

A member of the Senate Finance Committee, Smith was also a solid supporter of plans to send rebate checks to taxpayers in order to goose the economy earlier this year, and has advocated for more money for state unemployment and job retraining programs.