By ALEXANDER BURNS | 9/14/11 8:11 PM EDT
With Michele Bachmann on the defensive over her suggestion that the HPV vaccine can cause mental retardation, it’s former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum who continues to flog the issue tonight.
In a statement to reporters, Santorum communications director Hogan Gidley took a jab at Rick Perry for saying his proposed HPV vaccine mandate should have been structured as an opt-in, rather than an opt-out program.
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“I’m glad Governor Perry is finally listening to Rick Santorum – and now understands a conservative position: that the government take-over of a 12-year old girl’s body is a bad idea,” Gidley said. “Hopefully Senator Santorum can now get Governor Perry to flip his position on building a border fence, giving special tuition rates for children of illegals, and supporting gay marriage at the state level.”
Like Bachmann, Santorum has the kind of ironclad social-conservative credentials that make the HPV vaccine mandate an easy target for him in this campaign.
He’s gone after Perry on the issue in both GOP primary debates; in tonight’s statement, Santorum’s campaign takes the issue further and tries to raise larger questions about the frontrunner’s ideological authenticity.
via Santorum keeps needling Perry – Alexander Burns – POLITICO.com.
