A groggy Rick Santorum, donning suit and tie, sans sweater vest, didn't think much of Mitt Romney's 38-to-31 percent win over him in last weekend's CPAC presidential straw poll. 
 
 When CNN's "State of the Union" host Candy Crowley said she was surprised Santorum didn't do better with party conservatives, he shot back: "Well, you know, those straw polls at CPAC... for years Ron Paul has won those because he trucks in a lot of people, pays for their tickets, and they come in and vote and they leave. We didn't do that, we don't do that. i don't try to rig straw polls." 
 
 Did Romney rig CPAC? 
 
 "You have to talk to the Romney campaign and how many tickets they bought, we've heard all sorts of things," Santorum said. 
 
 "We didn't pay them to turn out," he added, speaking of his supporters at CPAC, Missouri and elsewhere. 
 
 He went on to say that he didn't think there was anything wrong with that, except he doesn't want to engage in that kind of politics. 
 
 Romney's campaign rejected Santorum's statement. 
 
 “Rick Santorum has a history of making statements that aren’t grounded in the truth," said Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul. 
 
 "Yesterday Mitt Romney won the CPAC straw poll and won a separate nationwide survey of conservatives conducted by CPAC organizers. Also, Mitt Romney won the Maine caucuses. Conservative voters recognize that in order to change Washington, we need someone who isn't a creature of Washington.” 
 
 Read more about: Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum ||||| Story highlights Romney grew up in Michigan, so a win there was crucial 
 
 His victory in Arizona was expected and more thorough 
 
 Despite his loss in Michigan, Santorum says he performed better than expected 
 
 The outcome shows it's a "two-person race right now," Santorum says 
 
 A relieved Mitt Romney headed back to the campaign trail Wednesday after sweeping crucial primaries in Arizona and his childhood home of Michigan to revitalize his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. 
 
 Romney needed to win both states, but especially Michigan -- where he grew up when his father was governor -- to assert his ability to overcome the conservative challenge from former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum. 
 
 A Santorum victory in Michigan would have raised questions about how strong a candidate Romney is within his own party. 
 
 By early Wednesday morning, the Michigan Department of State had posted unofficial results from 80 of the total 83 counties. They showed Romney with 36% to 33% for Santorum. 
 
 Texas Rep. Ron Paul had 10% while former House speaker Newt Gingrich had 6% 
 
 JUST WATCHED Candidates sound off after primaries Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Candidates sound off after primaries 02:00 
 
 JUST WATCHED Opinion: Romney must give everything now Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Opinion: Romney must give everything now 01:12 
 
 JUST WATCHED Santorum not changing message after loss Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Santorum not changing message after loss 02:20 
 
 Wayne County, home to Detroit, was not among the tallies, but numbers posted on its website also showed Romney with a sizable lead. 
 
 The state's 30 delegates will be allocated on a proportional basis, and Romney and Santorum each won three so far, according to the returns. However, it was unclear who would win the most Michigan delegates, which are based on congressional districts. 
 
 Romney's victory in Arizona was expected and more thorough. He had 47% to 27% for Santorum, 16% for Gingrich and 8% for Paul with 88% of the unofficial returns counted, according to the secretary of state website. 
 
 The result gave Romney all of the state's 29 delegates in the winner-take-all primary. 
 
 In a speech to supporters, Romney acknowledged he had to come from behind on his home turf in Michigan. 
 
 "A week ago, it was just a week ago, the pundits and the pollsters, they were ready to count us out," he said of surveys showing Santorum leading in Michigan. " ... We didn't win by a lot, but we won by enough and that's all that counts." 
 
 Santorum portrayed his Michigan defeat after leading in the polls as a better-than-expected performance in his main rival's territory. 
 
 "This was going to be Romney's night. The question was how big. And it wasn't very big," Santorum said. 
 
 The outcome showed it's a "two-person race right now" with Romney, he added. 
 
 "A month ago, they didn't know who we are, but they do now," Santorum said, calling it "an absolutely great night." "The people of Michigan looked into the hearts of the candidates, and all I have to say is 'I love you back.' " 
 
 Santorum and Gingrich are vying for the support of conservatives to try to overcome Romney's advantage in spending and organization. 
 
 The results Tuesday showed that combining the support for Santorum and the former House speaker would equal or exceed Romney's support, a point certain to heighten the competition in coming weeks as the campaign heads toward Super Tuesday on March 6 and beyond. 
 
 JUST WATCHED What do Ohio Republicans want? Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH What do Ohio Republicans want? 03:24 
 
 JUST WATCHED CNN calls race in Arizona Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH CNN calls race in Arizona 00:58 
 
 JUST WATCHED Gingrich: We can reduce debt through oil Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Gingrich: We can reduce debt through oil 03:28 
 
 JUST WATCHED Dems voting for Santorum to hurt Romney Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Dems voting for Santorum to hurt Romney 02:39 
 
 In an attempt to capitalize on Michigan's open primary in which any voter could participate, Santorum launched automated phone calls Monday asking Democrats to support him "to send a loud message to Massachusetts' Mitt Romney." 
 
 Liberal bloggers also asked Democrats and independents to vote for Santorum as a way of damaging Romney's chances of winning the nomination. 
 
 Speaking to reporters in Livonia, Michigan, on Tuesday morning -- his first news conference in nearly three weeks -- Romney called the tactics by Santorum and Democrats "a real effort to kidnap our primary process." 
 
 He called on Republicans to turn out "and say no to the dirty tricks of a desperate campaign." 
 
 Santorum defended the calls to Democrats at a campaign stop Tuesday in Kentwood, saying Romney used the same tactics earlier when he encouraged New Hampshire Democrats to cross over to support him. 
 
 A majority of voters in New Hampshire, which Romney won last month, were independents or Democrats, Santorum said. 
 
 "And when he goes out and recruits folks who aren't Republicans, that's all right," said Santorum, who later said of Romney: "That's what bullies do -- when you hit 'em back, they whine." 
 
 However, it was Santorum who first complained of the crossover voting tactic in January, telling a Minnesota event that "We want the activists of the party, the people who make up the backbone of the Republican Party, to have a say in who our nominee is as opposed to a bunch of people who don't even identify themselves as Republicans picking our nominee." 
 
 He called for closed primaries with only Republicans allowed to take part "because it's the Republican nomination, not the independent nomination or the Democratic nomination." 
 
 Democrats who voted Tuesday said they didn't need much convincing to support Santorum in order to weaken Romney. 
 
 Bruce Fealk said he voted for Santorum because he's the weaker candidate. 
 
 "The idea is to help Obama get re-elected," he said. "We want Mitt Romney to go bankrupt in Michigan." 
 
 Romney attributed Santorum's late rise in the polls to his recent "incendiary comments" about Obama, such as questioning the president's theology and accusing him of snobbery for advocating higher education. 
 
 "We have seen throughout the campaign that if you are willing to say really outrageous things that are accusative and attacking of President Obama, that you are going to jump up in the polls," Romney said. "You know, I am not willing to light my hair on fire to try and get support. I am who I am." 
 
 The tough talk reflected the high stakes in Michigan. Romney has led nationwide polls off-and-on over the course of the campaign, but has been unable to increase his support base. Santorum is the latest of Romney's rivals to challenge him for frontrunner status by playing on conservatives' reservations about the former Massachusetts governor. 
 
 Santorum's hat trick earlier this month in Minnesota, Missouri and Colorado propelled him to a lead in national polls and a double-digit lead in Michigan two weeks ago. But he had a lackluster performance in last week's CNN/Arizona Republican debate and has fallen into a statistical tie with Romney in national polls. 
 
 Both candidates spent most of their time following the last debate in Michigan, making it the key showdown for both their efforts to establish momentum. 
 
 CNN chief political analyst Gloria Borger called Santorum's focus on social issues in recent weeks "detours he didn't need to take" from the economic message that resonates most with voters in a sluggish economy. 
 
 To David Gergen, CNN's senior political analyst, Romney's victories strengthened the narrative that his campaign is on an inevitable march to the nomination. 
 
 While noting it was "easy to see how Mitt Romney can lose this," Gergen added that it was "very hard to see how any of his rivals can win it." 
 
 Michigan and Arizona come four days before Washington state holds its caucuses on Saturday and a week before 10 states hold primaries and caucuses worth 437 delegates on Super Tuesday. 
 
 Santorum adviser John Brabender, who had downplayed expectations for his candidate in Michigan, noted that the 30 delegates at stake there were proportional, so a second-place finish with a decent delegate haul is just as good as a win. 
 
 Brabender said Santorum has already won by forcing Romney to spend major campaign resources in a state considered home turf. 
 
 "The Romney campaign is spending a fortune they never expected to spend in Michigan, and every dollar they spend in Michigan is a dollar they don't have on Super Tuesday," Brabender said. 
 
 For Gingrich, it's all about Super Tuesday and Georgia, which he represented in Congress for more than two decades. 
 
 "I want to focus on winning in Georgia. I think it is essential to us to do that, and we are going to do everything we can between now and next Tuesday to win here at home," Gingrich said last weekend while campaigning in the state. 
 
 However, Gingrich's hopes of building a strong support base in the South after his lone victory in South Carolina appears in trouble. Santorum holds a big lead in polls in Tennessee, another Super Tuesday state. 
 
 Paul, the libertarian champion making his third bid for the White House, campaigned briefly in Michigan to try to win some delegates, but was mostly looking ahead to Washington state and Super Tuesday caucuses to try to increase his delegate count. 
 
 "We'll continue to work in the caucus states" where investments of time and resources pay off in delegates, Paul said. ||||| Our campaign team live-blogged the CNN Republican debate Tuesday. Scroll for updates, fact-checked rhetoric from the candidates, tweets, video and photos. 
 
 Santorum put on defensive over earmarks, contraception at debate 
 
 The candidates in just one word 
 
 Romney defends ‘severely conservative’ 
 
 10 p.m. |Closing misconceptions 
 
 All the candidates were asked to clear up a misconception about themselves for undecided voters. Only Ron Paul really answered that question. (As Romney said, “You get to ask the questions you want, I get to give the answers I want.”) 
 
 Paul argued against the “misconception that I cannot win,” saying a recent poll showed him performing best against President Obama in Iowa. 
 
 Gingrich said that Americans are looking for someone with the boldest ideas, “somebody who can actually get it done.” 
 
 Romney said that he has “the passion, the commitment and the skill to turn America around.” 
 
 Santorum said Americans are “looking for someone who can do a lot with a little,” rather than winning by outspending his rivals — someone who can “be outspent and yet cut through, because you have a vision, you have principles and conviction.” 
 
 And that’s a wrap! Thanks for sticking with us. We’ll have some analysis of what it all means very soon. 
 
 — Rachel Weiner 
 
 9:50 p.m. | Santorum on NCLB: “I took one for the team” 
 
 “I took one for the team leader,” Santorum said in explaining his vote for No Child Left Behind in 2001.”Politics is a team sport, folks.” 
 
 He added that he now opposes President Bush’s education reform. “I voted for that. It was against the principles I believed in.” 
 
 He said he had made a mistake, and “I will not make that mistake again.” 
 
 Ron Paul responded that politicians should be loyal to the country, not to their party: “That’s the problem we have in D.C.” 
 
 — Rachel Weiner 
 
 9:40 p.m. | Santorum dodges on Syria 
 
 Asked whether he would intervene in the conflict in Syria, Santorum dodged by attacking President Obama. 
 
 “Syria and Iran is an Axis,” he said, and “President Obama has a very big problem standing up to the Iranians in any form.” He noted that the U.S. Embassy in Syria stayed open until it had to be closed for security reasons. 
 
 More dubiously, he claimed that Obama had never pushed for the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Obama has repeatedly demanded that Assad step down. 
 
 Gingrich suggested that we should “clearly have our allies overtly” working to take down the Assad regime. 
 
 — Rachel Weiner 
 
 9:36 p.m. | Fact Checker Flashback: Iran 
 
 Did Iran’s Ahmadinejad actually say he wanted to wipe Israel off the map, as Newt Gingrich said? No, not really. Check out our detailed look at this oft-made claim. 
 
 — Glenn Kessler 
 
 9:36 p.m. | Santorum hedges on women in combat 
 
 Asked about his concerns about women serving in combat, Santorum backed away from his comment a bit. 
 
 “There are different roles of women in combat, they are on the front line,” he said. “The concern that I expressed was about certain roles particularly in infantry... but I would defer to the recommendations of those involved,” adding that “we have civilian control of the military, the decision should not be entirely up to the generals.” 
 
 He got a boost from Gingrich who pointed out that women are already in danger overseas because “you live in a world of total warfare,” while suggesting that “you ought to ask the combat leaders what they think is an appropriate step instead of the social engineers of the Obama administration.” (A military advisory panel endorsed letting women fight in combat units.) 
 
 9:28 p.m. | Rick Perry is in the audience 
 
 Gov. Rick Perry (R-Tex.), who dropped his presidential bid last month and endorsed Newt Gingrich, is in the debate audience tonight. Cue the sarcastic responses: 
 
 Would Rick Perry forget his one word if still in the race? — Adam Green (@AdamGreen) February 23, 2012 
 
 9:20 p.m. | The candidates, in just one word 
 
 A question by a commenter on CNNPolitics.com was posed to the candidates. How would you describe yourself in one word? 
 
 Paul said “Consistent.” 
 
 Santorum: “Courageous.” 
 
 Romney: “Resolute.” 
 
 Gingrich: "Cheerful.” 
 
 9:18 p.m. | Romney goes after Santorum’s Specter endorsement 
 
 Your Browser DoesNot Support IFrames. 
 
 Rick Santorum’s endorsement of moderate GOP Sen. Arlen Specter in the 2004 Pennsylvania Senate race continues to haunt him. 
 
 Romney made an issue of the endorsement Wednesday, noting Specter faced a primary with the more conservative Pat Toomey at the time. Romney went so far as pointing out that President Obama’s health care bill wouldn’t have passed without Specter’s support. 
 
 “If you had said no to Arlen Specter, we would not have Obamacare,” Romney said. 
 
 Santorum said he endorsed Specter because he was the best person to shepherd through Republican-appointed Supreme Court nominees, of which there were likely to be at least a couple in the ensuing years. 
 
 Specter was “able to give moderate Republicans and conservative Democrats the leeway to support those nominees,” Santorum said, calling the conservatives’ advantage on the Supreme Court the “guardian of liberty.” 
 
 “I did the right thing for our country,” Santorum said. 
 
 Specter became a Democrat in the face of a rematch with Toomey in the 2010 election, but he lost the Democratic nomination to Rep. Joe Sestak, who later was beaten by Toomey in the general election. 
 
 9:10 p.m. | Fact Checker flashback: Two Romney fouls 
 
 Mitt Romney: “That was my view, go through bankruptcy.” 
 
 We looked at the fine line he plays on the car industry bailouts. The problem is that the process he recommended likely would not have been possible in the midet of the economic crisis. 
 
 Verdict for a similar statement in November: Two Pinocchios. 
 
 In another instance tonight, Romney’s strange counting of pages to compare his health care plan to Obamacare--that his bill had 70 pages versus 2,000 for “Obamacare” — we’ve checked this tale before and gave it one Pinocchio. 
 
 — Glenn Kessler 
 
 9:05 p.m. | Paul says Santorum voted for abortion 
 
 
 
 Ron Paul went after Santorum – again – on Planned Parenthood. 
 
 “If you voted for Planned Parenthood like the senator has, you voted for birth control. … and you voted for abortion,” Paul said. 
 
 Santorum responded that he supported Planned Parenthood as a part of a larger bill – a response that drew some groans in the audience. 
 
 “There were things in there I didn’t like and things I did,” Santorum said, noting that as president he would oppose any bill with Planned Parenthood funding. 
 
 “This goes to the problem I’m talking about: There’s always an excuse,” Paul said. 
 
 When Santorum said again that he voted for the funding as part of a larger bill, he again drew groans 
 
 9 p.m. | Santorum defends contraception talk 
 
 Your Browser DoesNot Support IFrames. 
 
 Predictably, a question about birth control policy was booed, with moderator John King saying defensively, “We’re not going to spend a ton of time on this.” 
 
 Newt Gingrich, also predictably, attacked the media -- adding an allegation that the “elite media” ignored the fact that President Obama “voted in favor of legalizing infanticide” as a state senator. (In fact, here is a 2008 New York Times article on the Born Alive Infants Protection Act Obama opposed.) 
 
 Santorum, asked specifically about his comments on “the dangers of contraception” last fall, had a good response: “Just because I’m talking about it doesn’t mean I want a government program to fix it,” but that “everything is not going to be fine, there are bigger problems at stake in America and someone is going to go out there, I will, and talk about these things.” 
 
 Paul chimed in with a funny comparison of birth control pills to gun rights, saying just as guns don’t kill people, “The pills can’t be blamed for the immorality of our society.” 
 
 — Rachel Weiner 
 
 8:57 p.m. | Fact Checker flashback: Speaker Gingrich’s balanced budget? 
 
 Newt Gingrich: “When I was Speaker we balanced the budget four consecutive years.” 
 
 Our Fact Checker has repeatedly called out Gingrich on this claim in past debates. He doesn’t hand out Pinocchios for debate statements, but this would be worthy of a few off the debate stage. 
 
 8:50 p.m. | The Fix goes on 
 
 Chris Cillizza isn’t live blogging with his Fix colleagues tonight. He’s on book leave this month, but he is still tweeting away about the big moments — and the finer points — of the debate. 
 
 I LOVE how close the candidates are sitting to on another. Super awkward. Which is good. For me. #cnndebate — The Fix (@TheFix) February 23, 2012 
 
 Ron Paul has SERIOUSLY stepped it up on the tie front tonight. Well done. #cnndebate — The Fix (@TheFix) February 23, 2012 
 
 Classic Newt debate move: Offer obvious applause line. Then keep talking during applause to act as though you aren't playing to crowd. — The Fix (@TheFix) February 23, 2012 
 
 Santorum quotes Biden!"You're entitled to your own opinions, not you own facts". #cnndebate — The Fix (@TheFix) February 23, 2012 
 
 8:45 p.m. | Santorum attacks Romney on bailouts; Paul backs him up 
 
 
 
 
 
 Santorum said he opposes all bailouts on principle and that Romney was inconsistent by supporting the Wall Street bailout, but opposing the auto bailout. 
 
 “That would be damaging to what I believe is the best way to resolve these problems, which is let the market work,” Santorum said. “I held the same consistent position when it comes to the auto bailouts. I can say that, with regards to Gov. Romney, that was not the case.” 
 
 Romney then described his case for a “managed bankruptcy” and got some applause. 
 
 “No way would we allow the auto industry in America to totally implode and disappear,” Romney said, adding that he supported the Wall Street bailout because of the concern over the country’s overall financial system potentially collapsing. 
 
 Paul did Romney a favor by targeting Santorum earlier on his fiscal conservatism, but now he took on Romney. 
 
 After Santorum criticized Romney for supporting the Wall Street bailout but opposing the auto bailout, Paul seemed to take Santorum’s position. 
 
 “If bailouts are bad, they’re bad, and we shouldn’t be doing them,” Paul said. 
 
 — Aaron Blake 
 
 8:37 p.m. | Santorum to Romney: ‘You don’t know what you’re talking about’ 
 
 Your Browser DoesNot Support IFrames. 
 
 The attacks are going two ways between Romney and Santorum, with Santorum now targeting Romney for criticizing his earmarks despite seeking them himself as governor of Massachusetts and as head of the Salt Lake City Olympics. 
 
 “Gov. Romney asked for the earmark – that’s the point here,” Santorum said. 
 
 Santorum pointed to military programs like the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey and noted that opponents of earmarks, like Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), used to be earmarkers just like he was. 
 
 “As president, I would oppose earmarks,” Santorum said. 
 
 “I didn’t follow all of that,” Romney said dismissively. “While I was fighting to save the Olympics, you were fighting to save the Bridge to Nowhere.” 
 
 Romney pledged that when he became president there would be a transparent up-or-down vote on all spending. 
 
 Santorum responded that that was how the system already worked: “So I suspect that you would have supported earmarks had you served in the Senate ... You don’t know what you’re talking about.” 
 
 The audience responded with boos. 
 
 -- Aaron Blake and Rachel Weiner 
 
 8:35 p.m. | Romney defends ‘severely conservative’ 
 
 Romney defended a line from his speech at CPAC earlier this month, when he called himself “severely conservative.” 
 
 “Severe, strict, I was without question a conservative when I was governor in my state,” Romney said, detailing his policies on taxes, immigration, and abortion in Massachusetts. 
 
 When campaigning for governor in 2002, Romney positioned himself as a moderate. 
 
 — Rachel Weiner 
 
 8:30 p.m. | Fact Checker flashback: Ron Paul’s errant earmark statements 
 
 Ron Paul complained about spending but the Fact Checker once gave him Three Pinocchios for his claims about earmarks. He would push for them--and then vote against the bill anyway. Having his cake and eating it too. 
 
 If you hear flawed or untrue statements during the debate, tweet them using #FactCheckThis so our Fact Checker team can investigate. 
 
 — Glenn Kessler 
 
 8:15 p.m. | Paul: Santorum’s “a fake” 
 
 Ron Paul, questioned about a new ad in which he labels Santorum as “fake,” stood by the commercial when pressed by moderater John King. 
 
 King asked Paul why he used that word. 
 
 “Because he’s a fake,” Paul said matter-of-factly. 
 
 Santorum responded: “Unreal.” 
 
 “I find it fascinating that when people are running for office, they’re fiscal conservatives,” Paul said in a bit of a rambling answer. “Credibility is what our problem is.” 
 
 Santorum said he had a strong, principled voting record and noted that he comes from a nominally blue state. He noted that the American Conservative Union has given him a 90 percent rating. 
 
 “That’s always a cop-out when you compare yourself to other members of Congress,” Paul retorted, pointing to Congress’s record-low approval ratings. 
 
 — Aaron Blake 
 
 8:15 p.m. | Fact Checker flashback: Bowing to dictators? 
 
 Rick Santorum said that he would ensure a president will no longer have to bow to a Saudi king. Did Obama really do that? The Fact Checker found that to be a tough call, and gave Mitt Romney three Pinocchios for an earlier statement to that effect. 
 
 8:15 p.m. | Gingrich promises $2.50 gasoline in opening statement 
 
 Newt Gingrich, going straight for America’s pocketbooks at the start of the debate, said that as president, he will pave the way for $2.50 per-gallon gasoline. 
 
 Gingrich has been saying this for a couple days now. He seems to have taken a page from Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), who earlier in the campaign promised $2 per gallon gas. 
 
 — Aaron Blake 
 
 7:55 p.m. | Santorum up with new Michigan ad 
 
 A harsh new Rick Santorum ad airing in Michigan paints Mitt Romney as a flip-flopper -- without making a sound 
 
 Your Browser DoesNot Support IFrames. 
 
 As of last week Santorum has only spent $480,000 in Michigan, while Romney has spent over a million 
 
 7:55 p.m. | Meanwhile, at the White House 
 
 President #Obama has signed the payroll #tax cut extension, WH says. — edatpost (@edatpost) February 23, 2012 
 
 7:35 p.m. | Cindy McCain: ‘This is Mitt’s state’ 
 
 The wife of Arizona Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) was on CNN before the debate to defend Mitt Romney’s chances. 
 
 “Obviously, we are a very dynamic state, we have a lot of diverse people, but i think this is Mitt’s state,” Cindy McCain said. “We’re in a situation, our economy’s bad, the people of Arizona are looking for someone who has business experience and an understanding of what it’s going to take to pull us out of this.” 
 
 A poll this morning showed Romney with a sizable Arizona lead, but other surveys suggest Rick Santorum is nipping at his heels. 
 
 — Rachel Weiner 
 
 7:15 p.m. | Arizona, Unfiltered 
 
 Our campaign team has been snapping photos along the campaign trail using the iPhone app Instagram and the hashtage #2012Unfiltered. Arizona has already provided some memorable shots , like this photo of the spat last month between Arizona governor Jan Brewer and President Obama.. 
 
 Are you participating in or covering the primary in your state?We want our readers’ pictures. Here’s how you can participate in #2012Unfiltered. 
 
 — Natalie Jennings 
 
 7 p.m. | Welcome! 
 
 We’re doing things a bit differently than we normally do on The Fix. Instead of a Cover it Live chat, we’ll be giving readers longer updates on what’s happening in real time. We’ll miss all your clever comments, but we hope you like it.
– Fresh off his loss to Mitt Romney at CPAC, Rick Santorum hit the talk shows this morning, and he's downplaying the victory, reports Politico: "You have to talk to the Romney campaign and how many tickets they bought—we've heard all sorts of things," Santorum told CNN. "Ron Paul has won those (straw polls) because he trucks in a lot of people, pays for their ticket, and they come in and vote. I don't try to rig straw polls." Elsewhere on the Sunday dial, as per Politico: Santorum on his chances: "I think we can do well (in Michigan). I think we can do reasonably well in Arizona, and really make this a two-person race." Sarah Palin on Romney: He's "a great candidate," but "his idea of conservatism is evolving, and I base this on a pretty moderate past that he has had, even in some cases a liberal past. Now that’s a problem. He’s still in the 30 percentile mark ... because we are not convinced." Obama chief of staff Jack Lew on the birth control ruckus: The Friday "accommodation" is as far as the White House will go. "There are others who don't have the same objective, they will have to speak for themselves, (but) this is our plan." Ron Paul on 'severe conservative' Romney: "That was the first time I’ve heard that definition, so I guess Mitt will have to tell us exactly what it means. Obviously, he means he’s a serious conservative, and he was trying to defend himself, or portray himself as such, but I don’t know exactly what he was meaning by that."