U.S. Rep. Jon Porter got slightly less outrageous applause and cheering at Monday’s Congregation Ner Tamid debate at the Flamingo Library than did his Democratic opponent, state Sen. Dina Titus. We’ll just bet she’s hoping it goes that way on Election Day, too.

But maybe it was confusion. The candidates were remarkably similar in their positions on energy (some drilling is OK, but we need renewables, too) on Russian aggression (diplomacy and sanctions, but no military), on paying for the Iraq War (Iraqi money should do it, not the taxpayers) and getting the hell out of Iraq (listen to the generals on the ground; do it safely).

But don’t let that fool you into thinking there’s no difference between Titus and Porter. She’s the one who’s got some serious momentum in the race, and he’s the one who’s justifiably nervous about keeping his seat.

Porter — after an obvious pander by mentioning his “continued support for the state of Israel” — introduced a shockingly bold agenda: No discrimination, get everyone access to health care and allow every homeowner to participate in the American dream. “I’m proud to be an American,” he (actually) said.

If you said the error in the above is that, by definition, homeowners ARE participating in the American dream, you’re technically correct. But you missed the big one: A Republican wants health care for everybody? Since when?

Titus wasted no time in slamming Porter for voting with Bush, especially on the war, and reminding voters she’d be an independent voice in Washington. In fact, she said the so-called “Gang of 10″ senators trying to find common ground on energy actually mimicked her plan, which includes dipping into the strategic oil reserve, punish price gouging, getting ethanol from Brazil and, yes, drilling. She, unlike Porter, came out against a coal-fired power plant proposed by Nevada Power near Ely.

Porter, with uncharacteristic vigor, slammed Titus for a quote in which she equated political campaign contributions with a guarantee of access to a candidate. “I don’t agree that donations mean access,” Porter said. Oh, and did you know Titus flip-flopped on drilling, voting against a meaningless resolution on the subject in the state Senate but supporting it now? “We can’t afford that kind of leadership,” he said.

(For the record, she said the aforementioned meaningless resolution had no restrictions on oil companies, say, forcing them to sell “American oil” in America.)

He said she took $5,000 from Enron.

She said that was before it was revealed Enron was a bunch of lying, cheating assholes. Oh, and he took $230,000 from Big Oil, while voting for tax breaks for companies making record profits. Talk about corporate assholes!

On the war, Porter noted he’d been to Iraq and Afghanistan four times (and Pakistan, even, where Osama bin Laden is likely still hiding), and mentioned — twice — that he “inherited” the war. (I.e. he didn’t vote for the damn thing.) But he did support the surge and we are “winning,” he said.

The decision on getting out shouldn’t be made by civilians, Porter said, but by generals. Hmmmm, that doesn’t sound very American. Perhaps he’s confusing the U.S. with Pakistan? We’re pretty sure in America the decision on matters of war and peace actually is made by civilians. (Ah, yes, here it is: We were right!)

Porter and Titus share some of the same views on immigration, too, only Porter wants a temporary worker program (favored by business) and Titus wants a pathway to citizenship (favored by immigrants).  And she mocked the concept of a border fence that Porter endorsed, joking that it was vulnerable as soon as immigrants develop what our friends at The Daily Show might call shovel and ladder technology. “I have never seen a fence that people couldn’t climb over or crawl under,” she said.

Based on what we saw, Titus was more restrained than usual, perhaps seeking to avoid a repeat of her contentious 2006 gubernatorial campaign persona, while Porter was more aggressive than usual, perhaps knowing he’s coming from a deficit of voter registration (more than 20,000) and campaign trail energy (Barack Obama at the top of the ticket rather than John McCain). All of that makes for some sweet campaign-trail drama, even if the candidates agreed a little too much for our taste sometimes.