McCain Stumps for Romney in SC, Hits Santorum on Earmark Spending - East Idaho News
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McCain Stumps for Romney in SC, Hits Santorum on Earmark Spending

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GETTY P 010512 MccainRomney?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1325841689241Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images(CHARLESTON, S.C.) — On his second day as a member of Team Romney, Sen. John McCain continued to assail former Sen. Rick Santorum on Thursday for supporting so-called “pork barrel spending.”

“Believe me, earmark spending is the gateway to corruption, and that was practiced when Republicans were in the majority,” said McCain, R-Ariz.  “Sen. Santorum and I have a strong disagreement, a strong disagreement that he believes that earmark and pork barrel projects were good for America.”

“I think it’s wrong for America and so does Sen. [Jim] DeMint and so does Sen. Lindsey Graham who have been staunch fighters against earmark and pork barrel spending,” said McCain, evoking the names of two of South Carolina’s senators.  “And I know you’re proud of that.”

Earlier in the day, McCain made similar claims against Santorum on CNN’s Starting Point, referring to earmarking as a “gateway drug to corruption.”

Romney, himself, has so far remained mostly out of the fray when it comes to outright attacks on Santorum, going only as far as to say that he is as much of a career politician as former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is.

In an informal press availability following the event, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley said that, unlike McCain, she felt no need to go after Romney’s GOP rivals.

“I don’t feel like I have to put any candidates down to make Gov. Romney look good,” she said.

Thursday was McCain’s second day of campaigning with Romney.  The two met with Haley in Charleston, S.C., in the afternoon after stumping together in New Hampshire earlier in the day.

Romney, McCain and Haley will hold another rally in Myrtle Beach, S.C., Friday morning.

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