Santorum’s Tepid Romney Endorsement

Santorum’s Tepid Romney Endorsement, Rick Santorum finally offered a formal endorsement for presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney late on Monday night. But it was hardly a ringing proclamation of approval for his former rival.

From its timing (after 11 p.m. on the East Coast) to its form (an email to supporters posted on his campaign website) to its language (more highlighting his differences with Romney than extolling Romney’s virtues) it’s a decidedly lukewarm nod to the man who bested him in the Republican primaries.

In his statement, Santorum returns to some of the issues that troubled him about Romney during the campaign — doubts about Romney’s “commitment to addressing the issues most important to conservatives,” concerns about his ability to make “a case as a candidate about fighting against Obamacare” — before stating that he’s more satisfied now with the governor’s positions.

Like Newt Gingrich’s similarly tepid endorsement, Santorum offers little praise for the party’s standard bearer, beyond the belief that he’s preferable to four more years of President Obama.

“The primary campaign certainly made it clear that Governor Romney and I have some differences. But there are many significant areas in which we agree,” he states. (Yahoo! News)