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Santorum: Romney and Paul Made Secret Deal

Republican candidate suggests opponents colluding against him

By Neal Colgrass, Newser Staff

Posted Feb 25, 2012 4:09 PM CST

(Newser) – Rick Santorum: conspiracy theorist? The Republican candidate suggested today that Mitt Romney has already picked Ron Paul as his VP candidate in a back-room deal, CBS News reports. At a Tea Party rally in Michigan, Santorum noted how Romney and Paul seemed to gang up on him at the GOP debate in Arizona this week: "Yeah, look, I didn't know we picked president and vice president before the election."

"The coordination that I felt at that debate was pretty clear," he added. "I felt like messages were being slipped behind my chair. It's pretty remarkable that in 20 debates, Ron Paul never attacked Mitt Romney." This wasn't Santorum's first accusation of collusion: Right after Wednesday's debate he said "their commercials look a lot alike, and so do their attacks." Paul has already denied the back-room deal, oddly by quoting Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty: "He said, 'If you think Ron Paul's going to do a backroom deal, you've got another thought coming,' something along those lines."

Republican presidential candidate, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, speaks at a rally in Lincoln Park, Friday, Feb. 24, 2012. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

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COMMENTS

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Showing 3 of 55 comments

hidflect

Feb 26, 2012 10:59 PM CST

That's right, Rick. You're not delusional at all. See, those 2 shady characters, Ron and Mitt? They're plannin' to cut you out of the picture and split the Nazi Gold hoard all for themselves 50-50. Now if you could just lay your hands on that Maltese Falcon, there's a map in the base where... ... LOON!

BCS

Feb 26, 2012 3:04 PM CST

Not only is he stupid, but he's delusional too. This man is unfit to have made it as far as he has.

AllegedlyDave

Feb 26, 2012 12:53 PM CST

Santorum is a nutjob, but I actually have the same theory as him after watching the last debate. Romney has the best shot of beating Obama, so if Ron Paul were the VP choice he'd be able to syphon away some of Obama's voters with his pro-marijuana, anti-war positions. If the Republican Party seriously hopes to win this election, a Romney/Paul ticket is the only chance they have. (Full disclosure, I voted for Obama in 2008 and will do so again this year, albeit with far less enthusiasm).

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Santorum: Romney and Paul Made Secret Deal

Republican candidate suggests opponents colluding against him

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

Republican presidential primaries • conspiracy theory • Mitt Romney 2012 • Ron Paul 2012 • Rick Santorum 2012

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