Rick Santorum channels John McCain. And not in a good way. Update!

Rick Santorum lost his cool when asked by a reporter if he had just referred to Mitt Romney as "the worst Republican in the country" right after he had just referred to Mitt Romeny as "the worst Republican in the country."

This according to CBS News: In directing what appeared to be a new level of vitriol toward Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum on Sunday described his rival as "the worst Republican in the country to put up against Barack Obama." Santorum later, however, bristled at the notion that he was referring to anything other than Romney's position on health care. 

After a rally at the South Hills Country Club here, Santorum asked Republicans to "pick any other Republican in the country" than GOP presidential front-runner Romney, based on issues that make the former Massachusetts governor "uniquely disqualified" to run against Obama. Reporters swarmed him for clarification, only to have Santorum testily reply that it was unreasonable to take his comment outside the context of health care. 

Minutes later, Jeff Zeleny of The New York Times followed up with a question about his outburst, to which Santorum asked, "What speech did you listen to? Stop lying." 

 Pressed further, Santorum clarified that he meant Romney was the worst candidate "to run against Barack Obama on the issue of health care, because he fashioned the blueprint. I've been saying it in every speech. Quit distorting our words. If I see it [in print], it's bull(expletive). C'mon man, what are you doing?"

Now whether this reporter, Jeff Zeleny, took Santorum's words out of context (And I would argue that he didn't!) or not, this outburst and lack of composure is surely a personality trait that Santorum does NOT want to be identified with while running against the much more subdued Mitt Romney, and certainly one that does not bode well for a general election campaign against the "coolest guy in the room," Barack Obama.

After hearing this I could not help but to be reminded of John McCain's legendary temper that was much discussed by reporters behind the scenes, and was shockingly revealed to the public in the book "The Real McCain" in early 2008:

Three reporters from Arizona, on the condition of anonymity, also let me in on another incident involving McCain's intemperateness. In his 1992 Senate bid, McCain was joined on the campaign trail by his wife, Cindy, as well as campaign aide Doug Cole and consultant Wes Gullett. At one point, Cindy playfully twirled McCain's hair and said, "You're getting a little thin up there." McCain's face reddened, and he responded, "At least I don't plaster on the makeup like a trollop, you cunt." McCain's excuse was that it had been a long day. If elected president of the United States, McCain would have many long days.

I think Rick Santorum is a major Fundamentalist douchebag, but if he is a major Fundamentalist douchebag with a bad temper that just makes him all the more unelectable.

By the way Santorum showed up this morning on Fox News (Where else?) this morning and offered this rather lame excuse for his behavior.

“If you haven’t cursed out a New York Times reporter during the course of a campaign, you’re not really a real Republican, is the way I look at it,” Santorum told Fox News.

So apparently in Santorum's eyes a "real Republican" is somebody with no respect for freedom of the press, and who believes it appropriate to lie on camera about things he JUST finished saying.

Well what do you know? There IS something that Rick Santorum and I agree on!

Update: Reporter Jeff Zeleny responds to Santorum's allegation that his "distorted" the Frothy Mixture's words:

 "Health care was not attached to that sentence in his soundbite there," he said. "[I was] simply asking for clarification." 

Co-host Erica Hill asked Zeleny to comment on an email Santorum sent to supporters saying he was "ready to take on the New York Times." 

"He can certainly do whatever he would like," Zeleny said. "It is a very common tactic for Republican presidential candidates, or even Democratic presidential candidates, to try and use the media a foil here. We've seen Newt Gingrich do it throughout the campaign season. So he clearly knew the cameras were rolling here ... he's very sensitive to these questions."

Being President of the United States is unarguably the most stressful job on the planet, if Santorum cannot handle a question from a reporter without losing his col do we REALLY want him negotiating with other nations on our behalf?

Fuck no!