Without Reference to 'Snobs' or 'Indoctrination,' Santorum Supported College Access in 2006 It seems that Rick Santorum, a former senator from Pennsylvania who faces tough Republican primary battles Tuesday in Michigan and Arizona, shared some of President Obama's higher-education goals - at least in 2006. Mr. Santorum was speaking to a Tea Party group in Michigan on Saturday when he called Mr. Obama a "snob" for supporting higher education for all Americans. But when he was running for the United States Senate in 2006, Mr. Santorum wanted all Pennsylvanians to go to college, according to Talking Points Memo, which posted a screen shot of the candidate's "commitment to higher education" from his 2006 campaign Web site. "In addition to Rick's support of ensuring that primary and secondary schools in Pennsylvania are equipped for success, he is equally committed to ensuring (that) every Pennsylvanian has access to higher education," the site reads. Rick Santorum has supported legislative solutions that provide loans, grants and tax incentives to make higher education more accessible and affordable. The campaign site's use of the word "access" appears consistent with Mr. Obama's "Education Blueprint for an Economy Built to Last," which states that the United States is being outpaced internationally and suffers from a domestic "college attainment gap," and cites higher education as a "prerequisite for the growing jobs of the new economy." As part of his continued focus on education, President Obama has presented an agenda that will ensure that America's students and workers receive the education and training needed for the jobs of today and tomorrow. The president's plan reflects a commitment to keeping the American promise alive by advancing educational opportunity that will lead to good jobs that pay well and provide greater security for the middle class. Regaining America's global leadership in higher education attainment requires robust participation and effort to meet this goal from all colleges and universities - public and private, two-year and four-year, across all states and territories. Mr. Obama has also called on all Americans to obtain at least one year of higher education or career training, whether at a community college, a four-year school, an apprenticeship or vocational training. Last week, Mr. Santorum called Mr. Obama's higher-education goals a way to get people into "indoctrination mills" led by liberal professors. But a former professor of Mr. Santorum's told The New Republic that the candidate (who went to college and has three degrees) was never at a disadvantage for having conservative views. The Choice has reached out to Mr. Santorum's campaign for comment, and will update this post if we receive a response. What are your thoughts on Mr. Santorum's characterizations of the Obama administration's goal - specifically, its desire for the United States to have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020? Should everyone go to college? Let us know your thoughts in the comments box below. Meanwhile, Mr. Obama rejected the indoctrination charge in remarks to the nation's governors at the White House on Monday. "When I speak about higher education, we are not just talking about a four-year degree," he said. We are talking about somebody going to a community college and getting trained for that manufacturing job that now is requiring someone walking through the door handling a million-dollar piece of equipment. Mr. Santorum's campaign seemed to back away from the "snob" comment on Monday, Michael D. Shear reported in The Caucus, The Times" political news blog. Alice Stewart, the spokeswoman, said she was encouraged by Mr. Obama's encouragement of trade or vocational schools.