Frankly, I think it's a mistake to walk this one back. The key moment comes just after the 1:20 mark. Rick Santorum's spokesperson Alice Stewart was on MSNBC with Andrea Mitchell to defend her candidate's comments about Obama's theology. It's clear that Stewart didn't intend to say "(Obama's) radical Islamic policies" but it was definitely something that has a ring of truth to it, not because of Obama's theology but because of how his policies ARE benefiting radical Islamists.
Frankly, this is an opportunity that Santorum's camp could use to its advantage. First of all, there is a significant portion of his base that actually believes Obama has Islamic sympathies and what would make meat redder than a presidential candidate's spokesperson echoing the sentiment? Second, has anyone noticed that no one has benefited better from Obama's policies than the very radical Muslim Brotherhood? Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Maurutania, Morocco, and now Syria all seem to be falling into the hands of the Brotherhood.
Santorum could easily go on offense here instead of walking this freudian slip back by saying, well, yeah, Obama's policies are both radical and pro-Islamic.
h/t GWP
Of course, if Santorum's campaign decides against doubling down and standing by Stewart's comments, the best response would be the dredging up of Obama's interview with George Stephanoplous in 2008 when then-candidate Obama referred to his "Muslim faith" before Steph helped him correct it on the spot. Santorum's camp could tell the media that if it chooses to go after his campaign for a misstep, Obama's misstep in the same respect in 2008 should be fair game.
Remember this?
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