Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) praised GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum on Monday, saying that his verbal drubbing of a New York Times reporter over the weekend shows that he is strong under fire.
"Santorum's response to that liberal, leftist, in-the-tank-for-Obama press character really reveals some of Rick Santorum's character," Palin told Greta Van Susteren on Fox News. "And it was good, and it was strong, and it was about time, because he's saying enough is enough of the liberal media, twisting a conservative's words, putting words in his mouth, taking things out of context, and even just making things up."
On Sunday, Jeff Zeleny of the Times asked Santorum about his characterization of Mitt Romney as the "worst Republican in the country to put up against Barack Obama."
"Stop lying," Santorum shot back, claiming that his remark was only in the context of Romney's position on health care mandates. "Quit distorting my words ... if I see it, it's bulls---."
Santorum has since defended his outburst repeatedly, telling Fox News on Monday morning that "if you haven't cursed out a New York Times reporter during the course of a campaign, you're not really a real Republican."
He's also sought to raise money off the confrontation, issuing a fundraising pitch claiming he was "aggressively attacked" by Zeleny.
While Romney's camp attempted to highlight Santorum's "tantorum" as evidence that he's an ill-tempered and desperate candidate, on Monday, Palin sympathized with Santorum and even encouraged the rest of the GOP field to take his lead.
"So when I heard Rick Santorum's response, I was like 'Well, welcome to my world, Rick. And good on ya. Don't retreat, you are saying enough is enough,' and I was glad that he called out this reporter, and he and the other candidates -- all of them -- they need to do more of this, because believe me, the American people are tired of what that leftist media continues to do to conservatives."
UPDATE:
Santorum took note of Palin's support in an updated fundraising plea on Tuesday, again asking supporters for $30, which he says is about the price of a New York Times subscription. From his email:
If anyone knows how the liberal press, like the New York Times, tries to destroy committed conservatives, it is Sarah Palin. That's why it was so gratifying when she went on Fox News last night and said what I did was "good," "strong" and "about time."