Rick Santorum's 'Rombo' Ad: Does GOP Candidate's Latest Clip Recall Google Problem?

Rick Santorum's dig at Mitt Romney is anything but subtle in a cheeky new ad, which re-casts the former Massachusetts governor as a fictional "Rombo." But is the GOP candidate also offering up some self-deprecating humor?

"Mitt Romney's negative attack machine is back," a voiceover declares as a Romney look-alike appears with a tommy gun, as reported by The Huffington Post's Luke Johnson. As the Romney doppelganger darts around an empty warehouse while firing at a Santorum cutout, the narrator declares, "Romney and his super PAC have spent a staggering $20 million brutally attacking fellow Republicans."

Though the voiceover notes that Romney is "firing his mud" at Santorum, the indeterminate substance fired at the latter's cutout brings to mind a certain sexual neologism -- specifically, the one which outspoken gay rights activist Dan Savage used in his very public campaign to change the definition of the word "Santorum" to something other than the former Pennsylvania senator's last name.

You may recall that after Savage's "Google bomb," "Santorum" was defined by Google as "the frothy mix of lube and fecal matter that is sometimes the byproduct of anal sex."

So is Santorum poking fun at the Savage debacle, or was the similarity totally unintentional? You decide.

Take a look at Santorum's views on a number of key issues below:

Comments

[Congo Line]

11:10 PM on 02/17/2012

Rombo? Does that make Santorum or those dripping in it, Rimbo?

[SimonBao]

11:10 AM on 02/17/2012

OMG I can't even watch that.

How could it be that absolutely NO ONE with the Santorum campaign immediately saw the issue with that ad?

It's hilarious, and disgusting.

[Tommygun264]

03:03 PM on 02/16/2012

Anyone who has ever tried to get Santorum out of upholstery can tell you it's no "joke".

But seriously, I point to this as evidence that there is at least one gay man or lesbian working on Santorum's ad campaign.

[DevonTexas]

02:37 PM on 02/16/2012

"...the voiceover notes that Romney is "firing his mud" at Santorum,..."

redundant.

[Victor Trevino]

02:20 PM on 02/16/2012

this is either accidental or the work of someone without him realizing it. I can't imagine he would have this kind of sense of humor about himself.

[invirginia]

08:13 AM on 02/16/2012

I hear they are really steamed about this in Cleveland.

[lacrosselamore]

10:53 AM on 02/16/2012

Virginia is for lovers. Perhaps the most ironic State motto of all.

[invirginia]

09:37 PM on 02/16/2012

I agree. It's actually our tourism slogan. Our motto is "Sic Semper Tyrannus" -- thus always to tyrants -- which is just as ironic.

[invirginia]

08:12 AM on 02/16/2012

I've always considered firing my mud to be an accidental occurrence.

[Ed whowannaknow]

05:26 AM on 02/16/2012

I see santorum...

[jpnairn]

03:59 AM on 02/16/2012

Someone in Santorum's campaign is playing him, and he's too dumb to see it. That's why he organized a Conservatives Unite Moneybomb, or c.U.M. for short, and he just put his name on this commercial that has Romney spraying santorum at him, accenting with the word "backfire."

[peorianewm2]

11:51 PM on 02/15/2012

You have got to be kidding me, if this is a serious ad running, Santorum's camp just sunk to a new low. Republicans you make me want to jump ship so fast your head would spin.

[Rambrewster]

10:58 PM on 02/15/2012

Love that the ad ends with the word "backfire." Is that a euphemism for santorum?

[GingerlyColors]

05:46 AM on 02/16/2012

Rear gunner perhaps?

[Zippy1169]

10:55 PM on 02/15/2012

I don't think he is smart enough to figure out that type of joke.

[JC LAngelle]

10:51 PM on 02/15/2012

"Rambo" was a mixed-up Vietnam war veteran hero. To compare some rich politician and his poor taste ads to Stallone's character is a disservice not only to Sly but to Vietnam veterans in general. Santorum's ad managers ought to rethink what they are doing by reducing a great film, and its sequels, to a lowbrow political campaign, then apologize to all Vietnam war veterans.

[rockysparks]

01:39 AM on 02/17/2012

Oh, puh-leeze! Comparing Rambo to any REAL Vietnam veteran is a disservice ...

[Cam Brunner]

10:14 PM on 02/15/2012

The Republicans running for President talk about “their” faith. We need to start looking at what is best for the country. The faith thing is a good way to make money, but bad for the country.

[MartiniVirtuoso]

09:30 PM on 02/15/2012

You know how when you google 'Santorum' you get something really vile, offensive and disgusting? Yeah, I'm referring to this ad.