Rick Santorum, Rand Paul to speak at Republican convention

(CBS News) Mitt Romney's closest competitor during the primary will have speaking slot at the Republican National Convention later this month.

Rick Santorum was announced as a speaker Tuesday morning along with former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin. In an effort to reach out the libertarian and Tea Party-minded members of the Republican Party, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, the son of Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul, will also have a speaking role.

"As our party unites around Governor Romney, these four great leaders will lend their voices in support of his vision to get America back on track," RNC Chair Reince Priebus said in a statement.

During their bitter primary, Santorum repeatedly had harsh words for Romney. While campaigning in Wisconsin in March, the former Pennsylvania senator said, "Pick any other Republican in the country. He is the worst Republican in the country to put up against Barack Obama. Why would Wisconsin want to vote for someone like that?"

He also said on CBS News' "Face the Nation" in March that Romney would be "the worst" Republican against Obama. 

As for Romney's potential running mates, they haven't been given speaking slots just yet, including Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan and New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte.

RELATED: Romney's vice presidential choice

The latest, but not the last, list of speakers comes one day after the Republican Party announced that former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Arizona Sen. John McCain and former Arkansas Gov. and 2008 Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee are set to take the stage.

The four-day Republican convention will be held in Tampa beginning on August 27.

[TJphoto]

This I want to see. I'm taking bets that the phrase "The Middle Class" never shows up. Also that the "George W." is never mentioned. Shocking!

[abby_del_abbey]

So these two extremists -- one a theocrat, the other an idolator of Ayn Rand who thinks that only the rich are "deserving" and the rest are parasites who only "deserve" to serve the rich -- are key note speakers? -- wow! how much more blatant can the GOP be? We are for religious extremism and the rich only!!!

[freespeechNixon]

Tax joke u allow me to understand y BUSH jr got elected twice, cuz i never knew people in this country were so clueless

[hypnotoad72]

Agreed.

They ignore peoples' responses to them and then call other people lazy while making excuses why they refuse to be bothered to read...

[robert_holt]

Rand Paul has a last name for a first name and a first name for a last name.

[retiredgustav]

That is why he is so backwards in his thinking!

[Lindag20]

Poor Sarah, she's still hanging out by her phone waiting for the call.....

[Raptorsmasher]

All dressed up an nowhere to go.

[byrdh5n1]

Let's make it a wack-job trifeta and add Michele Bachman to the circus.....

[awenshok]

Santorum, Paul...add Palin and you can present a "Totally Crazy" Hour for those demented people who attend.

[Raptorsmasher]

Sound like a great cast for the remake of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

[exedore1000]

Rick Santorum should not be allowed to speak anywhere.

[jwc1234]

It's time to bring in the clown car and let them run lose. This should be kind of fun to watch, Romney is bring in all of the R's that he spent the summer destroying and they are all going to say how great he is. They will say that his experience as the top of Bain is good enough to run the country. What a joke! Bain made money on ruining peoples lives, closing companies, taking jobs overseas.

Romney has a team of lawyers just to figure out how he cannot pay his share of taxes. Think people he was asked if he ever paid a lower rate that 13% in taxes? if you are in the normal rate let say 25% he is paying 48% less that you in taxes. So if you made 50K last year you would pay 12.5K in taxes. Romney would make would make 96.5K to pay the same in taxes. Sound good to you?

[oldjones]

What time is GWB's keynote address going to be?? After all; these policies, that the GOP continuously touts, are continuations of his policies....They should acknowledge their "Daddy"!!!