Santorum Responds to McCain on Earmarks

By Naureen Khan | Friday, January 6, 2012 | 5:01 p.m.

DUBLIN, N.H. —  GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum hit back on Friday against Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., on the issue of earmarks.

McCain —  the Senate’s leading crusader against special-interest spending by colleagues -- had harsh words for Pennsylvania's former senator when he was out on the campaign trail in South Carolina, stumping for Mitt Romney. “Senator Santorum and I have a strong disagreement, a strong disagreement that he believes that earmark and pork-barrel projects were good for America,” he said.

Santorum defended his use of earmarks as a member of Congress during a town hall in Dublin.

“The idea that earmarks — that because someone earmarks, that they’re an irresponsible spender is just absurd. The big problem in the federal government with spending is not earmarks, it’s entitlements,” Santorum said. “The people of Pennsylvania elected me to represent the interests of Pennsylvania.”

Santorum further hit McCain on his lack of leadership on entitlement reform.

“Candidly, this is John McCain trying to put his imprimatur on the Republican conservative movement,” Santorum said. “John McCain very rarely supported entitlement reform. He came from Arizona — [an] older state — and ran to the hills when it came to anything having to do with senior benefits.”