Rick Santorum “On A Tear” Against McCain

According to Ramesh Ponnuru at The Corner:

The former senator has been on a tear against McCain for weeks. Many conservatives admire Santorum and will take his views on the presidential race into account. But McCain’s positions on immigration, global warming, and the re-importation of prescription drugs are already widely known. What isn’t widely known is how McCain operates in the cloakroom. Santorum gave us a hint on the Hugh Hewitt show a while ago:

I mean, this is a guy who says he believes in these things, but I can tell you, inside the room, when we were in these meetings, there was nobody who fought harder not to have these votes before the United States Senate on some of the most important social conservative issues, whether it’s marriage or abortion or the like. He always fought against us to even bring them up, because he was uncomfortable voting for them.

Senator Santorum: What abortion legislation did McCain want to hold up? More specifics, please.

If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a thousand times, McCain is embarrassed by conservatives.

So, Santorum has been rather conspicuously campaigning against McCain, as noticed, (and not appreciated) by Beth at My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy.

After passing along an anecdote about Santorum’s behavior on a plane, (making campaign calls on Romney’s behalf to big GOP donors, witnessed by a Democratic operative), Beth cuts loose about what a shameless hypocrite, Santorum is.

She makes note of a recent The Weekly Standard piece by Steven Hayes:

Although many others have been as critical of McCain, perhaps no one has been as hypocritical. In 2006, when Santorum was running for reelection, he asked McCain to come to Pennsylvania to campaign on his behalf. When McCain obliged, Santorum put the video on his campaign website, listing it first among “key events” of the year. That’s gratitude, Santorum-style.

That is troubling, ain’t no doubt. If Santorum had such a low opinion of McCain, he shouldn’t have used him, but he was in a desperate fight for his Senate seat, and I’m sure he figured he could pick up some moderates that way.

I don’t know if it’s possible to be in politics for any length of time and not get your hands a little dirty, at some point.

I’m not making excuses for Santorum, I’m just trying to put it in perspective. On balance, I’m much more concerned by McCain’s discomfort with cultural conservatism, and tendency to go along with liberals, than I am by Santorum’s backstabbing. Sorry, Beth. (I’d still vote for the SOB in the general).

And I believe that Santorum is being totally sincere about his misgivings with McCain.

UPDATE: 

A trusted Senate source got back to Ramesh Ponnuru on his request for “More specifics, please”.

McCain stood in the middle of the GOP cloakroom and yelled at several of his Senate colleagues because they deigned to have a vote — to have a vote — on Inhofe’s “English As the National Language” amendment to the 2006 immigration bill.  He accused conservatives of being “divisive” and “insulting” Latinos for suggesting that immigrants ought to learn this language.  He was nasty and unhinged. About 10 staffers witnessed this. He delighted in telling the conservative senators there that they were destroying the party with these efforts.  This is what Santorum is talking about.  He had antipathy for social and cultural conservatives’ efforts.

Okay, if I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a thousand and one times.

Man Uses Stun Gun On Toddler

I swear…I’ll never understand what could cause a person to abuse his/her own child, in this case an 18 month old. This man must be demon-possessed:

Prosecutor Reed Dinsmore said the stun gun delivered 30,000 volts during testing.

“This is a case of a father torturing his 18-month-old son,” prosecutor Reed Dinsmore said. “Why? We can’t tell.”

He said it’s not yet known whether the child will suffer long-term nerve or neurological damage.

The prosecution said the child’s mother saw marks on the boy in January 2007 and, thinking it was a rash, wanted to take him to a doctor.

But Wittman talked her out of it, Dinsmore said.

“He described to her that he used the stun gun to play peekaboo with the child,” Dinsmore said.

Someone please explain to this man that stun guns are not used in playing peekaboo. They tend to take the fun out of it.

“The mother did not report the incident, and that was a mistake on her part.”

Shame shame shame!

After a second incident in February, she took the child to her sister’s home and then to the police. Doctors at Samaritan Albany General Hospital found numerous wounds conforming to the stun gun’s electrode pattern.

“I spoke to a Department of Human Services careworker who was present, and she said the look in the child’s eyes will not easily be forgotten,” Dinsmore said.

The husband is saying that the injuries were caused by the mother, that they had had an argument earlier that day, and she had said, “You’ll be sorry as she took the boy from the home.

Well, all I know is, the Dept. of Human Services in Albany, Oregon had better figure out who’s telling the truth,  quickly. The child should be put in foster care until the truth is known.

This story makes the  Do’s And Don’ts With Baby jokes,  seem a lot less funny.

Hat tip: Crime Scene KC 

Rudy, Rudy, Rudy

Rudy has a new ad out in which his non endorsements from major newspapers are presented as a badge of honor. It’s a clever ad, and positions him to the right of McCain on taxes.

Sadly, this ad appears to be too little, too late. It’s only an internet ad, according to Allahpundit, and it needs to be airing on major t.v. stations in Florida if it’s to have any effect.

Giuliani’s lagging behind McCain and Romney in Florida, and is now in a fight against Huckabee for third. The early voting results are not looking promising, either, based on polling data.

Allahpundit wonders if he’ll quit before Super Tuesday if he comes in fourth. He may as well.

I feel bad for Rudy. I think he would have been a strong candidate in the general, but his position on abortion, and his late start in the primaries have prevented him from getting any traction.

I would have had no problem voting for him in November.