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 ||||| Ron Paul counts himself among the baffled by Mitt Romney's description of himself as a severe conservative. 
 
 "I think I share your interest in that, because that was the first time I’ve heard that definition, so I guess Mitt will have to tell us exactly what it means," the Texas congressman and GOP presidential contender said Sunday on CBS's "Face the Nation." "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." 
 
 Read more about: Mitt Romney, Ron Paul ||||| Newly minted White House chief of staff Jack Lew says President Obama's position on birth control and Catholic institutions has been "consistent" -- and that his Friday "accommodation" is as far as he will go to win over the bishops. 
 
 "There are others who don't have the same objective, they will have to speak for themselves [but] this is our plan," Lew told Candy Crowley on Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union." 
 
 When she asked Lew if he could say, with a "straight face," that insurance companies would pick up contraception costs from church-run schools and hospitals a very straight-faced former White House budget director said, somewhat surprisingly, that health insurers would in fact pay less for the birth control-inclusive plans -- presumably because they reduce pregnancies. 
 
 Read more about: Barack Obama, Catholics, Contraception, Jack Lew, Bishops
– 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."