Santorum: ‘Absolutely Taking a Look’ at Running in ’12; Palin Will ‘Have to Do Some Explaining if She Runs’
EmailABC News’ Rick Klein reports: Former Sen. Rick Santorum has some more political travel on tap this week, with a trip scheduled for South Carolina to follow recent visits to Iowa and Michigan — fueling speculation about 2012 that he isn't shying away from.
Asked whether he's considering a run for president, Santorum, R-Pa., said on ABCNews.com's "Top Line" today: "Absolutely — absolutely taking a look."
"But look — I'm doing it in the context that right now, there's, you know, there's very important matters and I want to weigh into those matters as to what the Republican Party stands for in 2010," Santorum continued.
"I think I've been very clear that you know, we need to stand foursquare on the traditional values. When I say traditional values people think, ‘Oh that means, you know, social conservatism and the family. It also means the free enterprise system and that government shouldn't be large and controlling things — I mean, those are all core Republican principle."
Asked if he thinks former Gov. Sarah Palin, R-Alaska, is qualified to be president, Santorum demurred:
"No, I'll let the people decide that," he said. "I think, you know, she's done a lot to draw attention to herself that's positive. She's done some things that, you know, certainly are going to cause her to have to do some explaining if she runs for president. But right now I think she's on a roll, she's having a good time, she's having an impact, which look — if you're sitting here out of office, the thing you want to do is have an impact on the direction of the country right now, if you're not governing things. And she's having an impact." Watch the interview with Sen. Rick Santorum HERE.
Sen. DeMint: GOP Race Could Go Until Convention 
Obama Avoids Questions on Contraception Rule
That is good news… I think I’d vote for him. He’s what the party needs.. and now…
Posted by: Lee Gasparro | December 7, 2009, 1:54 pm 1:54 pm
Ricky thinks Sarah should do some “splaining.”
What a hoot! Watching the Republican Lunatic Fringe slug it out during the Republican Primaries will be great fun.
My bet is on Palin and her army of Tin-Foil Helmet People.
Clearly God has become a Democrat.
Posted by: Doppelganger | December 7, 2009, 2:24 pm 2:24 pm
It will be interesting. In hindsight Ron Paul was correct of foreign entanglements and economic collapse so he has all the credibility. Palin didn’t even know what the Bush Doctrine was. I just hope she does her homework this time.
Posted by: Huh | December 7, 2009, 3:08 pm 3:08 pm
Independent Palin supporter here. My reaction to the GOP good ole boys club is you guys have big hats but no cattle.
Do this, Rick, Mitt, Tim, et al. Write a book and see if you can get 1,000 people to stand in line in freezing weather just for the chance to shake your hand. Forget the base. She owns it.
Posted by: don | December 7, 2009, 4:02 pm 4:02 pm
What will she have to explain? The fact that she CLEANED HOUSE of corrupt democrats and republicans as governor, which ultimately led to 4 legislators arrests and 6 other endictments (let’s compare that to BO’s non-existent record of reform in America’ dirtiest political city)?
Or the fact that she sold the private jet and fired the private chef to relieve the tax payers?
Or the fact that she was able to draw crowds almost equal to obamas’s while receiving HORRIFIC coverage, while he was worshipped by the liberal media?
Or the fact that she “facebooks” as a private citizen and commands the attention of the most powerful man in the world?
Or the fact hat she “acted in the best interest of the people” because she turned the governor’s reigns over to her understudy,because the state of alaska was crippled by ethics violations(she beat all 20 of them and there were 20 more lined up when she resigned) that was costing the state MILLIONS of dollars and thousands of her staff’s hours?
Imagine… a politician who claims to be for the people and she actually is!
Do you think BO learned that in the “pay to play” city of chicago?
Posted by: Dave | December 7, 2009, 4:26 pm 4:26 pm
Let her start explaining why she quit her job as Governor (An Office she swore she would diligently uphold) to cash in on a more lucrative book signing tour. The GOP the party of values? Think again!!!!!
Posted by: brian | December 7, 2009, 4:33 pm 4:33 pm
The only person I would like to see explain things is obama when Palin drills him for all of the marxists he has appointed to his cabinet. That should be interesting!
Unlike McCain, who ran a pathetic campaign in an attempt to be “positive”, Palin will not hold back. While obama’s henchmen went up by the HUNDREDS to uncover dirt in wasilla, john mccain REFUSED to discuss rev racist, bill ayers, or tony rezko.
The obama campaign even fueled viscous lies about palin’s family, but hey, that’s the “chicago way”!
Posted by: Dave | December 7, 2009, 4:36 pm 4:36 pm
CC Pennes
Please cite some of Palin’s “lies”.
Are you referring to when she accused obama of palling around with terrorists? Well guess what- when you have your political coming out party for a senate seat in the living room of bill ayers, you are palling around with terrorists!
The only lies are coming from obama. Remember when he said “I had no idea rev racist was saying those things”. That was a lie!
Or when he said “bill ayers was just a guy in my neighborhood”. That was a lie!
Or when he was caught taking bribes to help secure a million dollar mansion in chicago from convicted felon tony rezko and he responded “that was just a boneheaded idea”. That was a lie!
Or when he was giving a speech in chicago in 2003 and he said “I support a single-payer health care system”, only to claim now that he doesn’t favor a gov’t takeover. That was a lie!
I could go on all day long.
Posted by: Dave | December 7, 2009, 5:09 pm 5:09 pm
Van
Here is an idea, why not try to explain why obama is not a marxist schooled in chicago’s pay to play system that you were duped into voting for?
Palin fought corruption and obama was in bed with it. That is the only way to get ahead in chicago.
Think about ACORN, rev racist, rashid khalidi, bill ayers, tony rezko, saul alinsky, bernadine dorhn.
They were all just casual “associations”, right?
Posted by: Dave | December 7, 2009, 5:14 pm 5:14 pm
I love it when Sarah Palin does some explaining. The jokes write themselves.
Posted by: KsDevil | December 7, 2009, 5:15 pm 5:15 pm
Palin said she was against the ‘Bridge to Nowhere’ when in fact when she campaigned for Governor she was for it.
She said she had nothing to do with ‘Trooper Gate’ when in fact she had her husband Todd do her dirty work.
She claims she against government handouts, when in fact she gave the people of Alaska kickbacks from the profits from oil, more like a bribe.
She recently claimed that she sat down with her family and they all voted if she should run with McCain, truth is the family was informed by his staff.
The way you can tell she is lying, is to see if her lips are moving.
Like you Dave, I could go on and on, but unlike you and most men who favor her, I do not have a crush on the former beauty queen. If she looked like Libby Dole how many of you would be supporting her?
Posted by: PatrickNYC | December 7, 2009, 5:26 pm 5:26 pm
She claims she against government handouts, when in fact she gave the people of Alaska kickbacks from the profits from oil, more like a bribe.
Dear Dung for Brians Patrick,
When resources the state has such as “oil” is used it belongs to the citzens of the state. Taking money from 5 % of the people that earned and to give it to ACORN leaches is called theft.
Trroper gate investigated and no charges recommended, sorry loser.
Please stay in you Liberal bankrupt state (NY) and Bankrupt yourselfs with your welfare payments. Let Alaska reap the benefits of our eleceted officails while you cry for the FEDS to please bail you out cause you governor wanted to keep his corporate jet.
You deserve NY so please stay they and pay the price of electing losers like Hillary and Switzer, fools!
Posted by: MYZE | December 7, 2009, 5:35 pm 5:35 pm
PatrickNYC
I see you have been surfing on the far left websites.
I have brought up obama’s terrorist friend, his relationship with a convicted felon/slumlord that helped him ILLEGALLY purchase a million dollar mansion (truly change we can all believe in) and his membership in a RACIST/anti-American church for 20 years. You bring up how Palin’s family was told about the VP selection? You are really desperate.
Let’s say everything you say is true (which it isn’t), who cares if she fired a patrol man who was drunk on the job and illegally shot a moose, or that she supported a bridge before she was privy to all of the waste surrounding it? BIG DEAL.
Your man is a marxist with felon friends,and you voted for him because the liberal media go “tingles up their legs” when he spoke.
Think for yourself for a change!
Posted by: Dave | December 7, 2009, 5:37 pm 5:37 pm
What does Sarah Palin need to explain?
Sarah Palin has the reform credentials required to be president based on her taking on the CBC (corrupt b****** club) in Alaska. She has an endearing persona reminiscent of Ronald Reagan. She also supports the same mainstream conservative policies that Reagan supported.
And, thanks to Obama’s example, she can demonstrate her policy chops by sitting down with speech writers and then delivering those carefully crafted policy statements directly from a teleprompter. How are the Democrats going to criticize her for that given Obama dependency on those very same teleprompters? Sarah Palin has demonstrated that she can give a great speech as was evidenced by her speech at the GOP convention. With teleprompter in tow she will be unstoppable.
Posted by: Jenny | December 7, 2009, 6:12 pm 6:12 pm
She won’t have to any explaining at all. Her fan base isn’t analytical, reflective nor wedded to the facts. They have a knee-jerk reaction to catch phrases and will follow her right off the edge of any cliff she points them toward. I hope she runs and splits the Republican party for good. The reasonable vs. the wacko.
Posted by: Cassandra | December 7, 2009, 6:12 pm 6:12 pm
If She won the presidency, I’d wonder if she was going to resign when things got to tricky for her to deal with. She quit the governor job in Alazka, why wouldn’t she quit the presidency?
She’s too wacky for the position, Santorum could handle it better.
Posted by: Sarafina | December 7, 2009, 6:16 pm 6:16 pm
Obama’s approval rating is down to 47% in the latest Gallup poll. His policies on healthcare and his push for cap and tax are also causing moderates and independents to abandon the Democrats. It really doesn’t matter who runs against him – all they have to do to win is to tell the American people that they will bring change from the policies we see today. Trillion dollar deficits, government led takeovers of banking, autos, energy, and healthcare are Obama’s legacy.
Posted by: Curt | December 7, 2009, 6:21 pm 6:21 pm
I won’t vote for her. But I think she’s cute.
Posted by: gotcha | December 7, 2009, 6:24 pm 6:24 pm
santorum is a right wing extremist. yeah, i hope he does get the republican nomination. bob casey blew him away in penn. obama would beat him in a landslide.
Posted by: rushbot | December 8, 2009, 1:24 am 1:24 am
Dave, you are absolutely right! One of McCain’s biggest mistakes was not attacking Obama on his associates. He should have turned Sarah loose and let her go after Obama the way she wanted to. It would have made the campaign a lot more interesting and I think there would have been a much different outcome! She was not called a pitbull with lipstick for nothing! She would have taken Barack Obama apart at the seams!
Posted by: JimVgirl | December 8, 2009, 4:26 am 4:26 am
Santorum said that he stands for traditional family values, social conservatism, and a smaller government. Sarah Palin is for all of that, too, and she proved it as governor of Alaska. She didn’t just talk the talk. She walked the walk!
Posted by: JimVgirl | December 8, 2009, 4:37 am 4:37 am
She’ll still take him apart if she decides to run in 2012! She’ll not only go after him about his associates but she’ll attack him on his policies and decisions, too, and it won’t be pretty! He’ll finally face some heat! She’ll do it in a civilized, professional and respectful way, but she’ll do it!
Posted by: JimVgirl | December 8, 2009, 5:13 am 5:13 am
Santorum tried to get taxpayers to pay for his kids private schooling. What a jerk. Palin and Santorum are both out of touch and not what this country needs now or ever. Find another job Rick, maybe wal-mart greeter.
Posted by: pt | December 8, 2009, 7:20 am 7:20 am
Santorum partnered up with HSUS to try and enact animal rights legislation, called the PAWS Act, in 2005. That legislation would have destroyed hobby breeding of dogs. No conservative worth his salt would get in bed with a bunch of nutcases. I would oppose him as a Presidential choice. He’s a nut, or an opportunist, but he’s no conservative.
Posted by: Sam The Dog Trainer | December 8, 2009, 7:43 am 7:43 am
Sarah Palin, genius at work-
Bill O’Reilly: Let me be very bold and fresh again, do you believe that you are smart enough, incisive enough, intellectual enough to handle the most powerful job in the world?
Sarah Palin: I believe that I am because I have common sense and I have I believe the values that I think are reflective of so many other American values, and I believe that what Americans are seeking is not the elitism, the uhm, the ah, a kind of spineless, spinelessness that perhaps is made up for that with some kind of elite, Ivy league education and, and a fat resume that is based on anything but hard work and private sector, free enterprise principles. Americans are could be seeking something like that in positive change in their leadership, I’m not saying that that has to be me.
Posted by: gary | December 8, 2009, 9:35 am 9:35 am
The Dems have no defense for what they are doing to the USA,trying to turn it into a Socialist state.The main stream media is at fault big time.2010 and 2012 elections will stop this insanity.
Posted by: Johnny L | December 8, 2009, 3:54 pm 3:54 pm
i m vote of me because i m best for my self
Posted by: cheap flights to ghana | December 18, 2009, 1:49 am 1:49 am