Flashback: Rick Santorum stands by his record of earmarks

(By Tina Korbe, Hot Air) - So it continues, this scrutiny under which Santorum now happily campaigns. (Yes, “happily.” He sounded ecstatic to be able to legitimately target Barack Obama and Mitt Romney as his competition at his first event in New Hampshire yesterday.)

So far, most of the criticisms sound like this: Santorum is of the big government, compassionate breed of conservative — and as much a part of the Republican establishment as Mitt Romney. Santorum’s earmark-laden voting record from his time in the Senate is an easy piece of evidence to prop up this idea.

But, if these excerpts from an appearance at a Press Club luncheon in Harrisburg, Pa., in June of last year are any indication, Santorum is unlikely to be embarrassed by accusations that he once played pork-barrel politics. Instead, he’ll use a line like this: “It’s not earmarks that are the problem; it’s entitlement programs run amok.” He’ll be right.