Rick Santorum Labels Mitt Romney A 'Well-Oiled Weather Vane'

WASHINGTON -- A jubilant Rick Santorum is leveraging victories in Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri to increase pressure on Mitt Romney, labeling him "a well-oiled weather vane" who often shifts his positions.

Santorum told CNN Republican conservatives "are beginning to get it" that he's best equipped to take on President Barack Obama.

The former Pennsylvania senator acknowledges Romney has a substantial advantage in political fund-raising, but said, "We feel like going forward we're going to have the money we need to make the case we want to make."

Santorum said Romney "had a great career in the private sector, but we're not running for CEO of the country. We're running for someone who can lead the country."

He said that the race was now "in a little bit of no man's land."

Santorum was asked about Foster Freiss, the main donor to his super PAC, who stood behind him Tuesday night as he made his victory speech. "Foster Friess doesn't run my super PAC," said Santorum. "Foster's been a long personal friend for twenty years."

On MSNBC's "Morning Joe," he said, "Mitt Romney is not the best choice to go up against [President] Barack Obama on the central issue of the day--government oppressing and taking away our freedoms."

He dismissed the effectiveness of the Head Start program, which is run by the Department of Health and Human Services and provides health and education services to low-income children and their families. "You look at the research on Head Start, it's not particularly impressive, sir, I mean look at money invested in Head Start and you look at two, three years out of people who've left Head Start, they're basically back where they were with everyone who else who didn't participate in Head Start," he said. He added that he thought that keeping families together to raise their children was a better solution.

On Fox News, Santorum said that President Barack Obama is "a very hostile president to people of faith."

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Comments

[justlw]

12:20 PM on 02/09/2012

With apologies to A. A. Milne, Obama is a very hostile president to people of very little brain.

[joeyfoto]

12:02 PM on 02/09/2012

Yea "Conservative are beginning to get it." They are beginning to get the fact that the GOP is considering nominating a religious fanatic who might possible carry three states of he takes Mississippi. Go Rick Go.

[BoycottFox2]

10:52 AM on 02/09/2012

Santorum is as much of a theat to America as the Koch brothers.

[Okieborn]

10:50 AM on 02/09/2012

W, Bush has been santorums mentor for many years and you bet it shows !

[Okieborn]

10:48 AM on 02/09/2012

Pick a corporate owned republican candidate, any republican candidate and if elected you have nothing more than the demise of all rights for the poor and middleclass !
You bet we had better re-elect President Obama !

[Dogvane]

10:37 AM on 02/09/2012

"Government repressing and taking away our freedoms"? Could he be referring to the conservative attack on women's health?

[Okieborn]

10:49 AM on 02/09/2012

Fanned / Faved and you bet I agree with your comment !

[MVH1]

10:09 AM on 02/09/2012

They don't care what's intelligent. They want to make all the rules and for you to stay busy following them so you don't see how much they steal out of the church box.

[Fahrenheit 451 usedbooks]

09:20 AM on 02/09/2012

By Faith he means "Christians" because they don't consider anyone else as having any Faith! The Christian right zealots are bringing the Crusades back to a city near you in an attempt to squash Women's rights to choose, prepare for battle! The Conservative Christians have left the Holy Lands and are marching on Washington D.C. and are attacking women's rights under the guise of religious freedoms.

[marta76]

09:06 AM on 02/09/2012

Oh yea, all those ministers at the prayer breakfast looked terrified of the President. He's really hostile toward religion.

[Pentheus]

08:03 AM on 02/09/2012

Contraception is wrong he says. Okay Rick....then that must mean that condoms & the rhythm method are wrong too. If you're going to police contraception/birth control, than you better find a 'presidential' way to explain abstinence....that's contraception too. Ergo....'no sex' as well as protected sex must be equal, in your world.

So, the bottom line apparently is: no contraception of any kind. And that must mean that human beings should only have sex when they intend to 'get pregnant'. Taking that idea one step farther and straight into your own life, Mr. Santorum, I must then believe that you personally have only had sex 7 times in your life...or....as many times as it took to ONLY conceive your seven children. WOW! What a life of restraint you've led !!

I wonder if all of your supporters and financial backers can say the same? No? Then obviously you grant them a little 'sex' leeway. But not the rest of the country?

But more importantly....what would be the consequences of a national law that bans all contraception? What would happen? Perhaps the concequences are too staggering for you to comment on.

[Gidster]

07:41 AM on 02/09/2012

There he goes again, inventing "Facts" and trying to bend reality to fit his world view....He is a hopeless demagogue!

[Dogvane]

10:38 AM on 02/09/2012

Or, he's making it up as he goes along.

[Gidster]

04:14 PM on 02/09/2012

That too... ;-)

[Wa1111]

07:23 AM on 02/09/2012

Santorum can't go negative. He's a good Christian, right? CPAC 2012 Lowlights. Thoughts at 3 A.M.
http://thoughtsatthreeam.blogspot.com

[ebanks84]

06:59 AM on 02/09/2012

The more negative he goes against Obama, the least acceptable he will be among his constituents because nobody sees Obama as Santorum sees him whether you like him or not. Nobody considers Obama a threat to this country or to their lives like Santorum is trying to make people believe. That's why he will NEVER be a viable contender and is only making people scared for no reason.

And to think that other clergy is praying for him is a joke because that means they feel the way he does and that would make me "not" trust any of them who believes Obama is the bad guy. That's why religion in this country is warped and unreal from what the average person has experienced in their lives. Religion is supposed to bring us together not split us apart as Santorum and his religious cronies are doing. God don't like the ugly and Santorum is "real ugly" in his attack on this president.

Go home Santorum. You will NEVER be president of this great country.

[doriath22]

06:23 AM on 02/09/2012

And Rick Santorum is very hostile to reality

[Dominic Orlando]

03:09 AM on 02/09/2012

Be kind to Ricky Santorum, after all, he's come from behind and positioned himself on top, and needs to blow a little stream... er, steam.

[Gidster]

07:43 AM on 02/09/2012

:) Outstanding!

F&F for the laugh!