Santorum: Palin has 'explaining' to do

(Politico) - Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) said Monday that former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin would have “some explaining” to do if she seeks the White House.

“She's done a lot to draw attention to herself that's positive,” Santorum during an interview on ABC’s “Top Line,” adding that the former Republican vice presidential nominee has “done some things that, you know, certainly are going to cause her to have to do some explaining if she runs for president.”

“But right now I think she's on a roll, she's having a good time, she's having an impact,” he continued. “If you're sitting here out of office, the thing you want to do is have an impact on the direction of the country right now, if you're not governing things. And she's having an impact.”

Asked about his own 2012 presidential ambitions, Santorum said that he’s “absolutely taking a look” at building a presidential campaign.

“But look,” he said, “I'm doing it in the context that right now, there [are] very important matters and I want to weigh into those matters as to what the Republican Party stands for in 2010.”

"I think I've been very clear that, you know, we need to stand foursquare on the traditional values,” he said.