The race for president took a raucous turn yesterday when an overzealous supporter of President Bush took on a group of chanting boosters for John Kerry on Greensburg's busy Main Street.

At lunchtime, 13 Kerry supporters gathered in front of the Westmoreland County Courthouse to bang a drum, chant slogans and exchange banter, thumbs-ups and other hand signals with passers-by.

Bush-Cheney campaign headquarters is directly across Main Street. The people inside closed the windows and lowered the blinds.

A little after noon, a man who looked to be in his 50s ran out the front door of the Republican office building, crossed the four-lane Main Street, and grabbed Lainie Maloy's big blue Kerry banner.

"He was screaming like a lunatic, obscenities mostly," said the Greensburg woman, who sported peace-sign earrings.

"He told us he hopes al-Qaida kills us all," said Thor Strong. "He grabbed the banner and took off back across the road, dragging [Maloy] with him."

"He pulled me right out into the traffic," Maloy said. "Then he finally let go and ran away, back into the Republican building over there."

It's true that a man ran panting into the office, said Bush campaign field director Kim Ward.

"I think he thought we'd offer him sanctuary," added Elizabeth Yorio, another campaign worker.

"We didn't know who he was. He doesn't work here. We threw him out," Ward said. "We're on alert. Two Bush campaign offices like this were stormed this week in Florida. People were hurt. And our Seattle office was broken into."

When a man from the Kerry group ventured into the office building, he was thrown out, too.

Then five Greensburg police cars pulled up. Officers looked through the headquarters building for the sign grabber, but the man apparently left through an alley door.

Police told drummer Eugene Strong to stop the racket, as court was in session nearby. Strong was miffed.

"My drum is like my voice. The voice of the Earth, the voice of freedom," he said. "And the local Gestapo comes up and tells me I have to silence my voice. I thought Greensburg was part of America!"

Upstairs at the Bush headquarters, Latrobe Republican Judy DiJoseph peered down at the chanting group. She'd come by for a yard sign, she said, and stumbled onto the drama.

"That's Satan out there," she said, "trying to bring down our campaign. It's good versus evil. Those are desperate people."

Greensburg Police Chief Walter Lyons said no one was arrested or cited in the incident. The sign-waving Democrats said they'll be back.

Later, from Harrisburg, Republican State Committee Chairman Alan Novak blamed the Democrats for staging what he called a "threatening protest."

"This is an outrage of the highest order. There is no place for violence, threats or disorderly conduct in campaigns," Novak said in a news release.

"Democrat protesters have every right to voice their opinion and be heard. But, when their actions become intimidating, unlawful and even violent, the perpetrators should be arrested and their leaders should be brought to justice," he said.

Novak did not say what, if anything, should be done about GOP-leaning sign snatchers.

And the new commissioner is ... (hold the drum roll)

The fracas in Greensburg today will be inside the Westmoreland County Courthouse, where 10 judges will hear two-minute sales pitches from at least 30 Republican county commissioner hopefuls. The judges will choose one to fill the vacancy left by the death of Commissioner Terry Marolt.