Santorum fires back at Obama over Israel claims
Westerville, Ohio (CNN) - Rick Santorum furiously shot back at Barack Obama after the president said Republicans are distorting his record of support for Israel.
Accusing the White House of embracing a policy of "appeasement" toward Iran, an agenda that he said threatens the very existence of America's chief ally in the Middle East, Santorum said the president has "turned his back on the state of Israel."
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"To blame Rick Santorum and other Republican candidates for our talk about what's going on in Iran, as this president continues weak policy after weak policy, out there with puffery about how tough he is going to be in making sure Iran doesn't get a nuclear weapon, and then does virtually nothing," Santorum said at a campaign event in Ohio.
He said Obama is "all talk and no action" on the matter of Iran and their nuclear aspirations.
Santorum made the comments in Westerville, a suburb of Columbus, during his final push through the state before Tuesday's Ohio primary.
Despite signs that the momentum heading into Election Day is with Mitt Romney, Santorum did little to dampen expectations here.
At the outset of his remarks, Santorum called Ohio, considered by many to be the biggest symbolic prize of the ten states that vote on Tuesday, the "key state" of the bunch.
"You are the epicenter," he told a modest crowd gathered at an American Legion hall. "While it may not be make or break, it's going to be a huge, huge deal."
Santorum reprised his main line of attack against Romney, saying his rival has tried to cover up his support for a health insurances mandate in Massachusetts.
"We need a president and nominee you can trust," he said.
Romney spokesman Ryan Williams called Santorum "desperate and flailing" and said Romney has consistently said the Massachusetts health care plan should be a model for health care reform at the state, not federal, level.
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fr the article:
>...We need a president and nominee you can trust," he said....<
And frothy ricky thinks he is just that. He's pathetic.
president obama has done all and most he has promised the gop are a big insult to this country lets ask netanyahu and israel who they would like to work with the next four years waitin.....Obama 2012!
As an American, I despise Israel for their cowardly and unprovoked attack on the USS Liberty.
The GOP field is weak this time around....no weaker than always.
Anybody else smell desperation?
agreed.rick santorums the biggest embarrassment out of the bunch
Ya lets jump into another war, give the rich a tax break, stop paying for birth control, get rid of unions, cut corporate taxes to create jobs, all to save America???? is something missing here
no matter WHAT Obama would have said about Israel, Santorum or others on the far right would have found a way to be against it. I was just surprised none came out right after his speech to do so. I guess they had to go through the tape to find out what they could dispute. Sorry Ricky nice try but you FAIL.
This is rubbish, Ricky, and you know it.
Ask Rick Santorum to go talk to Osama if the president is all talk and no action. I hope he can find his body in the middle of the ocean.
Rick Santorum gives Catholics everywhere a bad rap. For him to say that President Kennedy makes him want to vomit, that comment alone ruined ANY chance he had. It is time for him to pick up his rosary beads and head home in shame. Buh Bye Rick!
Hey does Israel and the repubs up from the backlash they will get from the world. Hey millions of nuclear bombs are are in the world, only 2 have ever been used, and we are the ones that did this in world war two. I know Iran is worrying about their next generation, even if they don't want to exist anymore. Why would a country commit mass suicide for no reason. Every crap I hear from these warmungering repubs about starting world war three is epic.