Santorum: White House "doing nothing" to stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons

Amid news of an Iranian plot to assassinate Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States, Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum on Wednesday accused the Obama administration of "doing nothing" to protect America from a nuclear threat from Iran.

Santorum, in an appearance on CBS' "Early Show," targeted Vice President Joe Biden for having voted against a bill the former Pennsylvania senator introduced in 2006 - which imposed strict sanctions against Iran and supported a transition of its government -and claimed Biden "didn't realize that a threat of a nuclear Iran is the real issue here."

"If they get a nuclear weapon no one will be able to attack them, and they will be fermenting," Santorum said. "This administration is doing nothing to stop them."

In 2006, Biden led the effort to defeat Santorum's measure because Biden said would undermine Bush administration negotiations with Iran to end the country's nuclear program and would "play directly into the hands of Iranian hard-liners," the then-Delaware senator said on the Senate floor at the time.

Biden then proposed an alternate measure aimed at supporting the Bush administration's diplomatic efforts. The measure called on Iran "to suspend fully and verifiably its enrichment and reprocessing activities, cooperate fully with the International Atomic Energy Agency, and enter into negotiations, including with the United States, pursuant to the package presented to Iran by the High Representative of the European Union."

The Senate passed the Biden amendment by a vote of 99-0, and it was enacted in September of 2006. Did Santorum abstain? Or was he one of the 99? Santorum voted for the measure/Santorum did not vote.

On the "Early Show," Santorum lambasted Biden for blocking his amendment.

"Joe Biden blocked my Freedom Support Act in 2006," he said. "He didn't realize that a threat of a nuclear Iran is the real issue here."

Biden, who was interviewed in a separate appearance on the "Early Show," said it was "critically important" for the world to unite against Iran.

"It's critically important that we unite the world in the isolation of and dealing with the Iranians," Biden said. "That's the surest way to be able to get results."

He added that U.S. actions against Iran could go beyond sanctions, but that "we're not going there yet."