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Subscribe to RSSNBC's Domenico Montanaro reports on the Values Voter Summit in Washington and what Republicans are doing to try and rally the conservative base. Plus, the fatal mistake the Romney campaign may have made in elevating Bill Clinton.
WASHINGTON -- Appearing at an annual gathering of conservative Christian voters, former presidential candidate Rick Santorum accused President Barack Obama of "coddling and appeasing" America's enemies and said the Obama administration is at least partially responsible for ongoing violence in post-Arab Spring nations.
"This president has to take a share of the responsibility for what the Middle East looks like today because he helped structure it," Santorum told attendees at the Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C., adding that Obama has "turned his back" on allies like Israel and the government of Egypt.
"He has sent a very clear message to that area of the world," he said of Obama. "If you're a friend of the United States, you're on your own. If you are an enemy of the United States, let's talk."
Anti-U.S. protests rocked over 20 nations across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia this week, and four Americans were killed during an attack in Benghazi, Libya.
Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney has slammed the Obama administration for "apologizing" for American values in its dealings with Islamic militants, a sentiment that his former rival Santorum echoed today.
"Gov. Romney boldly went out and called this administration on their policies, their weak, lead-from-behind appeasing policies against those who threaten us and our security," Santorum said. "He stood up and called them what they were."
While he fought bitterly against the now-GOP nominee in the Republican primary, the former Pennsylvania senator repeatedly praised Romney before the audience of Christian social conservatives, a group that represents the backbone of Santorum's political base.
"I'm so encouraged that Gov. Romney has embraced some of the things I campaigned upon and that you across America have encouraged me to give voice to," he said. "He's giving voice to those things because he understands who we are. Mitt Romney understands America. He understands those values. And he shares those values."
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Presidential candidate Rick Santorum can't be serious, give me a break!! This is why the American people are not listening because they are tired of the lies and distortion. This is an act of desperation by Republican Party. They are trying desperately to drive Obama's poll numbers down. The sad part is that they are not presenting facts just lies. In addition, they have not decried the idiot that uploaded the derogatory film on the internet. Who knows, maybe it is the Republican Party behind that film to create this issue with the Egypt and Libya.
I'm not usually one for conspiracy theories. And somehow I have a hard time thinking that Romney or his staff are that clever.
However I would not put anything past Rove and to be honest that roll of tin foil in my pantry is quivering a lot.
As if Rick Santorum does anything worthwhile. Whoops, I stand corrected - he was at the RNC in Tampa dressed as the empty chair.
He dressed as Obama? how embarrassing.
How's that bush doctrine of bringing democracy to the Middle East working out ..the neo-cons have gotta be doing a happy dance right now..
All they'll do is deny it was them that wanted to "spread democracy" and rewrite history to say Obama did it.
So you're saying that it is Bush's fault Obama committed U.S. resources to overthrowing Mubarek and Gadhafi without congressional approval?
Funny, I don't recall the media ever giving Bush credit for the "Arab Spring" back when they trying to sell it to the American public as a good thing.
Spare us all pjam, you had no idea who either of those 2 men were until Fox told you.
The Republicans, including Candidate Romney, are making fools of themselves by their hysterical criticism of President Obama's response to the newest terrorism in the Middle East. They think the rest of us are not able to connect the dots between the aggressive, NeoConservative imperialist American aggression in two Iraq and one Afghani war and the hotbed of resentment that is ripe for exploitation by terrorists. Romney has been, in his off the cuff remarks at campaign events over the last few days, exotically nonsensical, being somehow unable to finish a coherent sentence. I actually begin to feel sorry for Mittens. He has so few actual bedrock beliefs; and now has to conjure up instant outrage in order to satisfy the voracious expectations of the partisan campaign he wages (and the bloodthirsty Obama-haters who constitute the majority of the only support he can truly count on. Team Romney daily invents new ways of alienating Independents and Moderate Republicans. Mitt Romney will never, ever be POTUS.
And how!
Do you think that celebrating the anniversary of feeding Osama bin Laden to the fishes may have offended some?
Unfortunately all one has to do is read some of the posts to realize that many Americans really are too thick to see it. hopefully they are just party loyalists and enough will see through it in Nov..
Kind of feels like swift boating to me
NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition!
Amongst our weaponry are such diverse elements as:
fear, surprise, ruthless efficiency, an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope,
and nice red uniforms (so funny but cant we all see the a corollary to the far right)
This guy needs to shut up. Romney & Ryan need to shut up. These men are playing a dangerous game with our country. They only care about winning this election and they will throw the citizens under the buss every time.
GobigO meant to say "throw them under the blunderbuss every time"
No I ment that the right only care about the interests that fund them period.
I'll be the first to say this...
Nothing Santorum says about anything is relevant to anything and the only reason he is talk is because Romney and Ryan were told to shut the @!$%# up.
Obama 2012.
Here's the hypocrisy in that statement. Mubarak was a dictator. I thought the right wanted to spread freedom and democracy. But they're willing to support a dictator and condemn a democratically elected government because they don't toe Americas line? Here's the strange thing about democracy, Mr. Sanctimonious Santorum....you can't pick the type of government a democratically free people choose. So take a stand, either support democracy or dictatorships.
Yeah, the right seem to have changed their position. At first they wanted to go in, guns blazing. Now it's all the President's fault for not backing Mubarak.
Same thing they are saying about Syria.
I guess any lie will do if it gets them a vote
Scumbags
Rick Santorum jeez this guy is one of the worst, he has no right to speak. God I dispise these sick right wing arrogant pricks.
He does have the right to express himself, just like the film-maker. It is ironic that the latter's portrayal of the subject matter was more accurate than Santorum's.
Big Ricky wants some of that Koch Brothers money. And I bet he gets it.
Maybe loony Santorum is vying for a spot in flipper-boy's cabinet as Secretary of State? lol It's too bad Santorum doesn't know Romney has already lost.
The majority of the American people know Santorum is a right wing extremist who spreads and spews moronic misinformation, disinformation and false information. That is why he will never again be elected to office.
As the republican realize that there hopes of gaining the white house and control of the senate disappear they have turned to more virulent lies to find support for their ideologies ! The American voters have turn their backs on the republican message and they can see the loss straight ahead !
Thank God for that.
Well said, #63.1.
Well now we know why santorum wasn't nominated for the republican candidacy. He is just as dumb and stupid as romney, so I guess that is why the two-face santorum likes romney now.
I had a hangnail today, and it was Obama's fault. Oh, wait, I didn't have a hangnail, but I thought I did, and that was Obama's fault.
If Obama had any gumption at all, he would have fixed my hangnail before I started worrying about it. That would leave me more time to prepare vacuous speeches for the Values Voter Summit. Well, maybe next year...
Yea, I forgot to roll up my car windows, and it rained inside. Everyone knows Obama controls the weather just like all the gas pump prices. He should have warned me. So yea...that was his fault too. Gee I'm too stupid to roll up my car windows and can blame Obama, maybe I should become a republican. lol
Santorum is a vile liar and a religious fanatic himself. If he had the freedom to do so he would govern this country IAW with the Dark Ages in Europe and the Catholic Church burning Jews, Muslims, and nominally catholic people that, if you will, "were not with the program;" and torturing others.
Religious fanatics are all basically the same. The only things that render them different is to what particular brand of God they kill and make people suffer for and what their respective governments consider acceptable.
Santorum believes that Mo Romney is going to lose and is just rallying the religious wrong for 2016!
The Republican Party used to be a party of economic conservatism, brotherhood, and respect for the rights and feeling of others. Now the GOP has been badly wounded by these coalitions of single issue voters and garden variety xenophobes and racists.
LTC Rattus, USA, ret. USMA '89
Looks like little Ricky is still auditioning for his own Fox News show.
The Door Matt in Chief just last week was spiking the football on national T.V. at the DNC proclaiming Al-Queda was all but defeated because of your policies.
OUR AMBASSADOR WAS JUST SODOMIZED AND KILLED BY AL-QUEDA!!!
And this idiot says Romney shoots first before he aims!
ENOUGH! I have had it this bias liberal media giving this clueless dolt a pass!
Time to crawl back into your GOP hidey-hole.
"hidey-hole"??? Whaddya ten years old?
Go back to the sand box, don't take a bite out of that cat turd, it is not a tootsie roll
Found that out in your own sand box did ya?
Santorum, like the rest of the extreme fringe, proves once again to be nothing but a radical ideologue incapable of comprehending and dealing with the complexity of the world. He and the others like him need to come out from their 19th century mentality.
Our country and society have put up with enough backward thinking individuals like Santorum!
It is really scary to think that all these kooks are in our government!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They must be living in some kind of fantasy land!!!!!!
President Obama did not make the film! The American people did not make the film!!!!!
Some deranged convict made the film!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I suppose they support him making the disgusting film!
OBAMA 2012!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bul***it
I swear, they will politicize anything. The president didn't make the film. When someone gets murdered over here or a riot starts up somewhere, do we blame our senators, governors, congress?? No, we blame the murderer. I hope noone buys in to this political pie slinging.
If Gaddafi were still in power, the extremists in Libya would still be in jail and hiding were they belong. Obama is the one who went after our ally against terrorists in the name of the "Arab Spring" media campaign.
Really now pjam. Not too bright are you? So let's see, you are whining because Gadaffi is dead but you were cheering when Saddam was hanged and Iran was free to run amok. So tell us all, how do you feel about Bush, the one who went after Saddam (whom we crated and installed) and left Iran un-checked? Can't wait to here your lame scramble on this one.
"partially responsible"? Obama committed U.S. forces to removing Gadhafi from power with NO CONGRESSIONAL APPROVAL, I'd say that makes him totally responsible... of course he will find someone to point his finger at and the liberal media will cower in the corner and let him.
Congressional approval? That could take until after the elections!
Bush started 2 unjust wars killing 100,000s of innocent people and our troops. He lied to congress and diverted $700,000,000. of funds to Iraq from Afghanistan, with out congressional approval, which is an impeachable offence. And the cost of these 2 wars have run up a big bill that the GOP is really pissed about. Do you think they know it is there bill?
You suppose the average citizen is a little sick of politicizing this tragedy? If we can't come together in even this, I pretty much think we are doomed.
If , by "we", you mean the republican party.
No wonder this guy did not get the nomination. Another fool in the long train of GOP railroad job cars...
Fools be they all!
Hey Pub head, Obama has taken out with consistancy dozens of to Al queda leaders. This is good , No?
Hey Numbskull, Al-Queda just Sodomized and killed our Ambassador, just today they infiltrated camp Leatherneck and killed two more Marines in Afghanistan, bringing the death toll to over 1300 in less than three years. How many under Bush in eight years? 625.
Al Queda and the Talibs are poping caps in our guys brains while the sleep.
THIS IS CALLED FAILURE
Pred strike them until they rot, they are winning
Well Publius, you might consider the little failure of W and his neocon brains on 9/11 that kinds precipitated this chain of events.
We won't get into the number troops lost over preventing the imaginary mushroom-cloud that brought our country to Iraq!