Phoenix (CNN) - Rick Santorum offered no apologies Tuesday for a controversial speech he gave in 2008 when he talked about the threat of Satan in America.
“I’m a person of faith. I believe in good and evil,” Santorum said in response to questions from CNN.
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Instead the rising GOP contender defended his four-year-old remarks, made at Ave Maria University in Florida, where he said Satan was “attacking the great institutions of America.”
“If somehow or another because you’re a person of faith and you believe in good and evil is a disqualifier for president, we’re going to have a very small pool of candidates who can run for president,” Santorum said.
Excerpts of Santorum’s speech were splashed across the conservative leaning Drudge Report for much of Tuesday.
Santorum dismissed the Drudge article as “absurd.”
"If they want to go ahead and dig up old speeches to a religious group they can go right ahead and do so. I'm going to stay on message. I'm going to talk about the things Americans want to talk about," Santorum said to CNN.
When pressed further if he believed Satan was attacking America, as he said in his 2008 speech, Santorum insisted the subject is not on the minds of voters.
“Guys these are questions that are not relevant to what’s being discussed in America today,” Santorum said.
“What we’re talking about in America today is trying to get America growing. That’s what my speeches are about. That’s we’re going to talk about in this campaign,” he added.
With Santorum now leading several national polls and moving within striking distance of two game-changing victories in next week’s Arizona and Michigan primaries, the rising GOP contender has seen his recent speeches subjected to increased scrutiny.
In a speech to a small crowd of supporters in Phoenix Tuesday evening, Santorum said he can handle the pressure.
“I’ll defend everything I say,” Santorum said.
After the speech, Santorum told reporters he’s pleased with the state of his campaign, disclosing that he’s raised more than $6 million this month.
Belief Blog: Santorum and Satan – the devil is in the details
He also commented on the latest Washington parlor game: whether the race for the GOP nomination could result in a contested convention in Tampa later this year.
“I feel very good about our chances of winning this election. Feel really good,” Santorum said.
When asked about the possibility that no Republican candidate will have enough delegates to clinch the nomination, Santorum said such talk is premature.
“Obviously if nobody gets enough delegates we’ll have to deal with that. But it’s a long, long, long way to go and we feel really good about where we are headed right now,” Santorum said.
During his evening speech, the former Pennsylvania senator sounded confident about his chances in next Tuesday’s Arizona primary.
“We’re not just here to debate. We’re here to win Arizona next Tuesday,” Santorum said in reference to Wednesday’s CNN Debate.
Also see:
Obama campaign takes a swing at Santorum
From CNN Politics
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Santorum is another hypocrite politician, who says one thing and does another. He says "I'll defend what I say," and then dodges the question. He doesn't want to be called out on what he is, a religious fanatic from the 1500s, so he slips and slides covers up.
Good vs. Evil has been the underlying story line for the entire history of human existence. although you see sways in the balance, in the long run good will always prevail over evil.
I am sure that the Carpenter from Galilee would not recognize any of his teachings coming out of what Santorum says.
As a Conservative, even though I support Newt instead of Santorum, I have to agree that Matt Drudge has gone overboard in his slobbering love affair with Mitt Romney and his bashing of other Republican candidates. He's acting like a Romney tool.
We don't need someone who believes in good and evil. Everything is relative and it is best to think as such. People believing in good and evil are the ones that will think Muslims are inherently evil and thus will never try to understand the complexities of the situation in the Muslim world. This leads to war and is a giant waste of money. Give me someone who takes time to look at things in a non-black and white manner. The world will never be black and white.
People of Deep Faith have no bussiness in Politics If they cant Seperate Church and State..nuff said
As much as I hate the idea of a second Obama term...the "Anyone but Obama" crowd can't have considered this zealot might the the alternative.
Nothing like handing the worlds largest nuclear arsenal to a man who has a desire to speed the approach of armageddon.
Im voting for Ron Paul Because im a veteran
Drudge can't be blamed for anything. If you notice, all his articles are NOT written by him, but brought to his site from AP, CNN, other news outlets.
The case can be made that the U.S. is undoubtedly evil. No matter how civil America is today, you couldn't say that 100+ years ago. Heck, you couldn't say that 40 years ago. Who are the evil people who enslaved the black man and called them 3/5ths of a man? What government is the only one in the world to use a nuclear weapon against it's enemy? What government is hellbent on having a "New World Order?" I'm an American through and through, but America has done some things that I'm not very proud of. I won't even get into Freemasons and their evil intentions.
I for one DO want to know how close minded our Presidential hopefuls are. Tell me how much you believe in Fariy Tales that even the Vatican says are "just stories". It makes it easier NOT to vote for them!
While I also believe in good and evil, A person this religious does not belong in the Oval Office. His beliefs would hinder him from making the best decisions for America.
Santorum is a religious extremeist who colours everything with his strict, letter-of -the-law religious belief system.Santorum belongs in a sanitarium. Enough said.
Anyone who is not afraid of Santorum must be truly fearless. Santorum is a demagogue and a Torquemada (the Grand Inquisitor) in waiting. You will find out what loss of liberty means if he is elected president.
"I'm going to stay on message. I'm going to talk about the things Americans want to talk about"
HA! You mean the social issues that have caused your surge in the polls that Americans don't really care about at all right now given the state of the economy???
Will Taliban-Rick trade his sweater vest for a political-suicide vest at the next debate?
"Crusader Rick" wants his religion in your government. People like this should be instantly disqualified for not knowing anything about America and our foundation. We really need some standards for running for president other than being 35 years old and American born. This guy is an insult to everything we're supposed to stand for.
Most of us believe in good and evil. I'd like to know how Santorum feels if we tell him that he IS evil?
Is he running for President or Pastor...
I get it ! Rick Santorum is going to lead the 13th crusade only this time it will take place in the USA
I'm not likely to vote for him, but the mindset of mankind has drifted so far from reality that people call what is truth to be absurb. The man is right. There is good and evil and Satans job is to kill, steal, and destroy as much of the spiritual/moral fiber of men/women until there soul is eternally damned.and in hell. All of what we think about science, technology, and the might of man will not change that.
Yeah, and the last time we had a president who has such a childish view of the world, we invaded Iraq and killed 100,000 civilians. And we let the money changers rape our country. And we tried to talk a brain dead woman back to life. Sorry, we don't need another immature religious fanatic to ruin things.
Let me guess the matra from truth and others today: Matt Drudge is part of the MSM. Stay tuned....
"That’s we’re going to talk about in this campaign..." Really? How much do CNN writers get paid? Editors? Hey, hire me...I'll actually proofread my stories before posting them.
Drudge doesn't write articles idiots.