Rick Santorum: Greenville, South Carolina - Rick Santorum, former senator of Pennsylvania and 2012 presidential candidate, barely registers in national polls, but he prepares for the first Republican presidential primary debate in South Carolina Thursday night.
Santorum, who formed a presidential exploratory committee, is still silent about when he will formally announce his candidacy for president. "In the next few weeks," he said when The Daily Caller caught him walking through the streets of Greenville, South Carolina, "As I always say that it is weeks, not months."
He, however, offer a small part of his prospective campaign might look like. While some candidates may have a strategy to focus on just individual states, Santorum said he TheDC "above all" plan.
"I've been to all of them equally - about 15 time each," Santorum said TheDC, referring to the early voting states like Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. "I think I have a message and a record that is attractive in all directions, and we're going to work on all fronts."
"We're not going to choose where we're going, we will accept them as they come," he added.
And while other candidates have gone through South Carolina in recent weeks, courting voters and the governor of South Carolina, Nikki Haley, Santorum said that he had not met with Haley in months.
Discussions will be held on Thursday evening after a few days after the successful U.S. Navy Seal raid that led to the death of Osama bin Laden. Because of this debate is expected to focus more on national security, not economics.
But Santorum said that the fine with him. "It is clear that national security is very important now, and I wanted to participate in this," he said TheDC. But while he expressed to President Obama for allowing the raid that killed bin Laden, Santorum also took the opportunity to criticize the political agenda of the president.
"The shortcomings of this administration deep when it comes to actions that occurred on his watch [Obama]," said Santorum, "where he was to deliver the policy. He has the wrong policy every time, and it is a problem."
Asked about the lack of participation in the first Republican primary debate in 2012 season, Santorum restricted to candidates who have decided to sit it out, saying: "I think people should be here."
"If you're really interested in seeing the President of the United States, then you should go out and talk with people - and not only in debate, but you have to go out and do town meetings and dinner stops
Santorum, who formed a presidential exploratory committee, is still silent about when he will formally announce his candidacy for president. "In the next few weeks," he said when The Daily Caller caught him walking through the streets of Greenville, South Carolina, "As I always say that it is weeks, not months."
He, however, offer a small part of his prospective campaign might look like. While some candidates may have a strategy to focus on just individual states, Santorum said he TheDC "above all" plan.
"I've been to all of them equally - about 15 time each," Santorum said TheDC, referring to the early voting states like Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. "I think I have a message and a record that is attractive in all directions, and we're going to work on all fronts."
"We're not going to choose where we're going, we will accept them as they come," he added.
And while other candidates have gone through South Carolina in recent weeks, courting voters and the governor of South Carolina, Nikki Haley, Santorum said that he had not met with Haley in months.
Discussions will be held on Thursday evening after a few days after the successful U.S. Navy Seal raid that led to the death of Osama bin Laden. Because of this debate is expected to focus more on national security, not economics.
But Santorum said that the fine with him. "It is clear that national security is very important now, and I wanted to participate in this," he said TheDC. But while he expressed to President Obama for allowing the raid that killed bin Laden, Santorum also took the opportunity to criticize the political agenda of the president.
"The shortcomings of this administration deep when it comes to actions that occurred on his watch [Obama]," said Santorum, "where he was to deliver the policy. He has the wrong policy every time, and it is a problem."
Asked about the lack of participation in the first Republican primary debate in 2012 season, Santorum restricted to candidates who have decided to sit it out, saying: "I think people should be here."
"If you're really interested in seeing the President of the United States, then you should go out and talk with people - and not only in debate, but you have to go out and do town meetings and dinner stops
