HARRISBURG -- Even though Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll makes occasional malaprops and mistakes in judgment, Gov. Ed Rendell says he'll stick with her when he runs for re-election next year.

	Pam Pamchak, Post-Gazette Catherine Baker Knoll and Ed Rendell celebrate on Election Night 2002. Click photo for larger image. Previous coverage Knoll apologizes to Marine's widow (7/26/05) Lt. gov. crashed Marine's funeral, kin say (7/23/05)

Asked yesterday if she'll be his running mate on the Democratic ticket in 2006, Rendell said, "I have no reason to expect differently."

Rendell told a state Capitol news conference that as lieutenant governor, Knoll takes her job seriously and "has conducted herself in office with dignity. A lot of people have been touched by the fact she is a caring and sensitive individual."

There is continuing speculation among some Democratic officials that Rendell might want a different running mate next year. Knoll's age, 74, and her occasional bouts of confusion in running the Senate during late-night sessions have raised some doubts about her performance.

But Rendell said, "Name me one thing the lieutenant governor has done wrong, substantively. Sure, she occasionally makes some malaprops, such as referring to me as Edward G. Robinson."

But then the former national Democratic chairman quipped, "If malaprops were a disqualification from office, I would submit we would be looking for a new president of the United States."

Knoll does have political pluses for the 2006 ticket, as she remains popular with large voting blocs like women and senior citizens. She also has allies from a lifetime in the Democratic Party.

Rendell admitted Knoll erred in going to a slain Marine's funeral last week in Carnegie, but defended her overall.

She has been deluged with criticism in e-mails and Web logs around the nation for showing up uninvited at the funeral for a Marine who was killed while on military duty in Iraq.

Rendell said he thought Knoll "made a mistake" in going unannounced to the funeral of Staff Sgt. Joseph Goodrich and leaving a business card. "You don't know how the family will react" when you show up uninvited, Rendell said.

But he said Knoll "takes these [military funerals] seriously and wanted to express the sympathy of state government" to the family.

"She was not there to politic," as some critics have charged, Rendell said.

While things didn't work out well last week, he said that some families, in their time of grief over the loss of a loved one, "appreciate that she goes to wakes and funerals."

Rendell said Knoll also erred in her statement at last week's funeral regarding the United States' military actions in Iraq.

Some Goodrich family members complained that Knoll said "our government" is against the war in Iraq, where Goodrich was killed while on duty July 10.

In a statement Monday, however, Knoll said she strongly supports what American troops are doing to fight terrorism.

Rendell said state government has no position on the war but strongly supports the efforts of U.S. soldiers and reservists to free Iraqis from oppression.