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At least a couple of ways to read this bit of weaseling from everybody's favorite Frothy Discharge:
1) Santorum's so vulnerable he's making sh*t up in order to distance himself from Bush...
2) Bush is in so much trouble he's starting to lose teh likes of Santorum...
3) Who cares? It's all good...
From today's Philly Inquirer:
1) Santorum's so vulnerable he's making sh*t up in order to distance himself from Bush...
2) Bush is in so much trouble he's starting to lose teh likes of Santorum...
3) Who cares? It's all good...
From today's Philly Inquirer:
Santorum's office can't find record of his questioning war
By Carrie Budoff
Inquirer Staff Writer
Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum's office acknowledged yesterday that it cannot locate public statements of the senator questioning the Iraq war, despite the senator's claim last week that he has publicly expressed his concerns.
But Santorum said that doesn't mean he hasn't made the comments.
In an interview last week, he said he had publicly and privately raised questions about efforts to contain the insurgency and to limit Baathist involvement in the new Iraqi government. He made his remarks in response to a charge by his leading Democratic challenger, Robert P. Casey Jr., that Santorum has failed to "ask the tough questions" about Iraq.
Robert L. Traynham, Santorum's spokesman, said a search of Nexis, a news database, and the office's press clippings had not turned up any account of those comments. He noted, however, that the office's records are incomplete because the office is unable to record everything the senator says.
"I do a lot of interviews on TV, on radio, with print reporters who don't happen to write everything I say," Santorum said yesterday. "The fact that it hasn't turned up in print doesn't mean I haven't said it."
The skirmish over whether Santorum has criticized President Bush's handling of the war is just one aspect of the Iraq debate that could vex the senator and Casey in the 2006 Senate race.
Casey, the Pennsylvania state treasurer, has begun faulting Santorum but has declined to offer an alternative vision for Iraq - reflecting the division among national Democrats on how to deal with the issue.
Santorum, the third-highest-ranking Republican leader in the Senate, won't distance himself from Bush's policy, even at a time when other Republicans are speaking out and polls show rising public dissatisfaction with the war.
With Pennsylvania soldiers dying, Casey said last week, Santorum should be pressing Bush as firmly as he did President Bill Clinton over U.S.-led raids of Kosovo in 1999, which did not involve ground troops.
"There were no Pennsylvanians in harm's way last time. This situation is dramatically different," said Jay Reiff, Casey's campaign manager. "Pennsylvanians on the ground deserve a senator who is going to put aside partisanship and ask simple questions about their safety in the war."
Santorum was a vocal opponent of the Kosovo conflict, he said, because it lacked a compelling national interest. He criticized Clinton in March 1999 for taking military action in Kosovo "with an ill-defined objective and no exit strategy."
Iraq is different, Santorum said last week, "because this is something we have to do to protect our country. I feel strongly about that."
His reluctance to publicly question Bush has more to do with Santorum's style than his priorities, Santorum aides say. He prefers taking a longer view, and if the war looks grim for several weeks, Santorum won't suddenly protest, Traynham said.
"He can understand where the President is coming from, the complexity of the issues," Traynham said. "That is why he keeps his counsel quiet."
Casey faces his own challenges, among them finding a position that portrays him as neither an antiwar defeatist nor a passive war supporter.
On the major Iraq votes - authorizing force and funding the operation - Casey said he would have supported those measures, just as Santorum did. Another Democrat in the race, Bucks County professor Chuck Pennacchio, said he would have voted against the use of force.
In recent weeks, Casey has attempted to differentiate himself from Santorum by chastising the senator for failing to speak out as soldiers die. Casey's latest criticism of Santorum came in the same month that seven Pennsylvania National Guard soldiers were killed in Iraq.
But when asked to describe what he would do differently in Iraq, Casey says the Bush administration has not given the public enough information to make a decision on what to do next.
"This is starting to look remarkably like Casey's race against Ed Rendell, which he seemed to do nothing but attack Rendell and distort his record while offering little in the way of positive change for Pennsylvania," said John Brabender, Santorum's media consultant. "Ultimately, this caught up with him on Election Day."
One constituency that responded was left-wing bloggers, who have been praising him for raising questions.
Santorum's stance falls in line with his party; polls show strong GOP approval ratings for Bush's handling of the war. But a potential pitfall for Santorum could arise a year from now if the war looks unwinnable, said Christopher Borick, a pollster at Muhlenberg College in Allentown.
"He is so closely tied with the President, there is some kind of residual effect," Borick said. "It will be hard for him to disentangle."
By Carrie Budoff
Inquirer Staff Writer
Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum's office acknowledged yesterday that it cannot locate public statements of the senator questioning the Iraq war, despite the senator's claim last week that he has publicly expressed his concerns.
But Santorum said that doesn't mean he hasn't made the comments.
In an interview last week, he said he had publicly and privately raised questions about efforts to contain the insurgency and to limit Baathist involvement in the new Iraqi government. He made his remarks in response to a charge by his leading Democratic challenger, Robert P. Casey Jr., that Santorum has failed to "ask the tough questions" about Iraq.
Robert L. Traynham, Santorum's spokesman, said a search of Nexis, a news database, and the office's press clippings had not turned up any account of those comments. He noted, however, that the office's records are incomplete because the office is unable to record everything the senator says.
"I do a lot of interviews on TV, on radio, with print reporters who don't happen to write everything I say," Santorum said yesterday. "The fact that it hasn't turned up in print doesn't mean I haven't said it."
The skirmish over whether Santorum has criticized President Bush's handling of the war is just one aspect of the Iraq debate that could vex the senator and Casey in the 2006 Senate race.
Casey, the Pennsylvania state treasurer, has begun faulting Santorum but has declined to offer an alternative vision for Iraq - reflecting the division among national Democrats on how to deal with the issue.
Santorum, the third-highest-ranking Republican leader in the Senate, won't distance himself from Bush's policy, even at a time when other Republicans are speaking out and polls show rising public dissatisfaction with the war.
With Pennsylvania soldiers dying, Casey said last week, Santorum should be pressing Bush as firmly as he did President Bill Clinton over U.S.-led raids of Kosovo in 1999, which did not involve ground troops.
"There were no Pennsylvanians in harm's way last time. This situation is dramatically different," said Jay Reiff, Casey's campaign manager. "Pennsylvanians on the ground deserve a senator who is going to put aside partisanship and ask simple questions about their safety in the war."
Santorum was a vocal opponent of the Kosovo conflict, he said, because it lacked a compelling national interest. He criticized Clinton in March 1999 for taking military action in Kosovo "with an ill-defined objective and no exit strategy."
Iraq is different, Santorum said last week, "because this is something we have to do to protect our country. I feel strongly about that."
His reluctance to publicly question Bush has more to do with Santorum's style than his priorities, Santorum aides say. He prefers taking a longer view, and if the war looks grim for several weeks, Santorum won't suddenly protest, Traynham said.
"He can understand where the President is coming from, the complexity of the issues," Traynham said. "That is why he keeps his counsel quiet."
Casey faces his own challenges, among them finding a position that portrays him as neither an antiwar defeatist nor a passive war supporter.
On the major Iraq votes - authorizing force and funding the operation - Casey said he would have supported those measures, just as Santorum did. Another Democrat in the race, Bucks County professor Chuck Pennacchio, said he would have voted against the use of force.
In recent weeks, Casey has attempted to differentiate himself from Santorum by chastising the senator for failing to speak out as soldiers die. Casey's latest criticism of Santorum came in the same month that seven Pennsylvania National Guard soldiers were killed in Iraq.
But when asked to describe what he would do differently in Iraq, Casey says the Bush administration has not given the public enough information to make a decision on what to do next.
"This is starting to look remarkably like Casey's race against Ed Rendell, which he seemed to do nothing but attack Rendell and distort his record while offering little in the way of positive change for Pennsylvania," said John Brabender, Santorum's media consultant. "Ultimately, this caught up with him on Election Day."
One constituency that responded was left-wing bloggers, who have been praising him for raising questions.
Santorum's stance falls in line with his party; polls show strong GOP approval ratings for Bush's handling of the war. But a potential pitfall for Santorum could arise a year from now if the war looks unwinnable, said Christopher Borick, a pollster at Muhlenberg College in Allentown.
"He is so closely tied with the President, there is some kind of residual effect," Borick said. "It will be hard for him to disentangle."
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