AIKEN, SC - Rick Santorum is taking direct aim at Mitt Romney and the "establishment" in a new ad set to debut in South Carolina tomorrow.

The ad, which will run in 60 and 90-second versions, is an homage to George Orwell featuring automaton-like voters marching single file to a voting booth with flickering images of Mitt Romney blasting from huge overhead screen.

Think Apple's iconic "1984? commercial meets modern political advertising.

"The establishment is once again telling us to fall in line…and vote for their backroom hand picked moderate candidate," the narrator says. "They're telling us to simply ignore the fact that Romney supported the Wall Street bailout. Ignore that Romneycare includes taxpayer funding of abortions. We should simply forget that Mitt Romney once bragged he's even more liberal on social issues then Ted Kennedy."

And, instead of a woman running through the crowd with a hammer like the Apple ad, this features a woman in a bright pink shirt hoisting a Rick Santorum placard. It ends with this call to arms: "Let's unite behind a candidate who not only shares our conservative values, but can beat Obama. Rick Santorum for President. Join the fight."

The ad comes on the heels of a new poll of South Carolina voters by CNN/TIME that shows Santorum in third place trailing Romney by 17 points and Gingrich by seven points.

While Newt Gingrich is working hard to establish himself as the consensus conservative alternative to Romney - even encouraging Santorum and Perry to "consolidate" around his candidacy- Santorum is making it clear that he's not going to let Gingrich claim that mantle without a fight.

If, however, Santorum is able to keep his current 16 percent or more, he will help splinter up the conservative vote which could help Romney win the state by a narrow plurality.

Here's a script of the ad:

The establishment is once again telling us to fall in line…and vote for their backroom hand picked moderate candidate.

They're telling us to simply ignore the fact that Romney supported the Wall Street bailout.

Ignore that Romneycare includes taxpayer funding of abortions.

We should simply forget that Mitt Romney once bragged he's even more liberal on social issues then Ted Kennedy.

In fact, we should simply follow them blindly…just like we did last time…over a cliff.

Not again.

Rick:

What wins in America are bold ideas, sharp contrasts, and a plan that includes everyone.

And a plan that includes people from all across the economic spectrum…

A plan that says we will work together to get America to work.

VO:

Let's unite behind a candidate who not only shares our conservative values, but can beat Obama.

Rick Santorum for President. Join the fight.

Rick:

I'm Rick Santorum and I approve this message.