Santorum says Obama worse than a failure

Republican presidential candidate former Sen. Rick Santorum speaks during a Republican presidential candidate debate at the Reagan Library Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2011, in Simi Valley, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum issued a scathing rebuke of President Barack Obama following Thursday night’s “jobs” speech, saying that Obama’s presidency had been worse than a failure. 

“Many say the President is a failure, but I disagree — he’d have to improve a whole lot to even be considered a failure,” declared the Republican presidential contender. 

Santorum went on to attack Obama for using the speech for political gain, rather than for presenting constructive policies. 

“The President’s speech tonight was more of the same failed policies and empty rhetoric that got him elected and got us in this mess,” Santorum said. “Sadly, the President seems to have forgotten his own charge that our country should come before party or his own even re-election. Instead President Obama kicked off his campaign for reelection in the most disingenuous way possible – by using the Congress as a his political toy.”

He pointed to the fact that the Obama campaign had sent a fundraising email to supporters just before the speech as proof of “political malfeasance.”

“This was not a policy speech to the nation, but a political speech using the Chamber of the House of Representatives as the backdrop,” Santorum alleged. 

He went on to contrast the president’s jobs plan with the plan he released, saying the president’s plan would not work.

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