Potential Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum is drawing attention today for comments he made in an interview where he mentions race in the context of criticizing President Barack Obama on abortion.
Santorum, the former Pennsylvania senator and a pro-life stalwart considering a GOP presidential bid, interviewed with CNS News.
Responding to a question about a statement Obama made during the 2008 presidential campaign saying understanding the basic facts of when human life begins was “above his pay grade,” Santorum responded: “The question is, and this is what Barack Obama didn’t want to answer — is that human life a person under the constitution?” and Barack Obama says no.”
“Well if that human life is not a person then I find it almost remarkable for a black man to say ‘now we are going to decide who are people and who are not people,'” Santorum added.
David Brody of CBN News responded to the comments saying they were sure to provoke controversy because Santorum touched on the subjects of both abortion and race.
“Abortion is a toxic subject. Race is a toxic subject. And soon to be GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum just took the plunge into both of those areas,” he said. “Love him or hate him let’s be clear about Rick Santorum. He doesn’t hold back. He doesn’t mince words and conservative Christians and Catholics find this quality to be his best attribute.”
“If and when he dives into the 2012 GOP mosh pit, he’s going to be the guy that won’t hold back and in the process he’ll put some of these other 2012 contenders on the spot by bringing up issues that everybody whispers about but rarely talks about in public,” Brody added.
Later in the day, Brody received an email from Santorum responding to the feedback on his comments:
“For decades certain human beings were wrongly treated as property and denied liberty in America because they were not considered persons under the constitution. Today other human beings, the unborn of all races, are also wrongly treated as property and denied the right to life for the same reason; because they are not considered persons under the constitution. I am disappointed that President Obama, who rightfully fights for civil rights, refuses to recognize the civil rights of the unborn in this country.”
CNS News editor-in-chief Terry Jeffrey conducted the nearly two-hour long interview with the former senator that covered a wide range of issues.
Last month, Santorum said he will make a decision in early 2011 about whether he will mount a bid for the Republican nomination for president. Although he would likely be a long-shot to capture the nomination, Santorum would present a stark contrast between his own pro-life views and voting record and the pro-abortion record Obama has compiled in just two years.
Santorum has visited top primary election battleground states like Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina and he told The Sun News more about his presidential plans.
“I’m getting here. I’m getting feelers on whether people think that what I’m saying, what I’m thinking, what I’m doing and what I’ve done is something they could get behind and be supportive of,” he said.
Although some political observers say a Santorum candidacy is quixotic — citing the fact that he lost his re-election bid in Pennsylvania for his Senate seat — the pro-life advocate cites another problem in capturing the GOP nomination: Sarah Palin. He says she is so magnanimous that she’ll “take a lot of air out of the room, that’s for sure” if she runs for the Republican nomination.
