Despite promise, Santorum goes negative on Romney

Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum promised this week to run a positive campaign against his GOP rival Mitt Romney, but he's out today with a new ad that lampoons Romney as a big-government politician on the defensive.

Called "Rombo," the 30-second spot features a Romney impersonator running through an empty warehouse, using a machine gun to shoot mud at a cardboard cutout of Santorum.

"Mitt Romney's negative attack machine is back, on full throttle," a narrator says. "This time, Romney's firing his mud at Rick Santorum...Why? Because Romney's trying to hide from his big-government Romneycare, and his support for job-killing cap-and-trade. And in the end, Mitt Romney's ugly attacks are going to backfire."

The Santorum campaign said the ad would run statewide in Michigan, though it declined to say how much it is spending to put it on the air. Romney grew up in Michigan, where his father was governor, and would be expected to have a natural advantage there -- but polls suggest Santorum is taking the lead in the state. The latest CBS News/ New York Times poll shows Santorum with a slight lead among Republican voters nationally as well.

Romney responded to the "Rombo" ad Wednesday morning on Fox News, calling it "the nature of politics."

"You always accuse the other guy of what you've done yourself," he said. "So, my campaign hasn't run any negative ads against Rick Santorum. His campaign ran attack ads against me, in South Carolina, and his PAC did so in Missouri. So, I'm not saying we won't finally go after the guy, but frankly, he's been going after me as that ad suggests."

While his campaign may not have run any attack ads against Santorum, the Romney camp has held a series of conference calls to criticize the former senator's record. Additionally, the pro-Romney super PAC Restore Our Future is running $640,000 worth of ads in Michigan, which holds its primary on February 28; the group released a Santorum attack ad on Tuesday.

[Avignon-Mimi]

Whoever the next President is, he will have to nuke Iran. Which man do you think can get the job done.

This is no drill. The world has pretty much gone down the checklist, and a regime change is going to be the answer. There is no way the west can win with conventional weapons. The nuclear sites will have to have neutron bombs to contaminate the sites for a 100 years.

Pick the man who can do the job. Alas, he won't be a veteran. Real people don't serve in the volunteers anymore.

[fwd23515]

I go to Sears because I like to buy tools, and Sears has good tools. However, Santorum is a tool no one needs.

[smittyc]

Well it's humorous. Look forward to Romneys counter attack.

[longtree-2009]

santorum will be easily defeated by obama as will newt. the two are just too far right for the majority of voters across the nation. the nation is not made up of conservatives and the bush years still sting many across the nation. mccain picking palin as his running mate set the republicans back some as moderate and centrist republicans no doubt voted for obama. how else did obama win by a landslide since the nation is not made up of entirely registered democrat voters.

[petesis]

I love it.

[Herne42]

Ron Paul 2012!

[frankblank]

No! Bachmann-Paul 2012

[jimbom121]

Looks like Santorum may have learned from what happened to Gingrich (twice)

[sickie66]

Just shows that none of the current GOP candidates are fit, or have the class, to be .....remember PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES! Where are you George, Abe and Teddy. Help us.

[ubeedobee]

While I don't especially care for Santorum, I have to applaud him on going negative on Romney. Romney really is a dangerous dangerous politician with a double-forked tongue.

George Busch was also dangerous and look at the chaos he caused. Romney would probably be worse.

[tea412]

How?

[skyk801]

ubeedobee, Agreed! It's hard to though.. Santorum IS a Religious Nut Case and he wouldn't blink an eye in getting us neck deep in a Religious War. Bush was just plain Incompetent, Romney is just cold blooded.

[RandallRichard]

As negative ads go this one is pretty tame. I like Colbert's superpac ad about Mitt Romney the serial killer much better.

[RandallRichard]

Mitt the Ripper
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aix7tQMdJ3s