Santorum's Martyr Complex (SLATE)

EXCERPT: Is Rick Santorum suffering for his faith? One of his advisers suggested to the Washington Examiner's Byron York that he is, and that Mitt Romney is getting absolution. "Why is Mormonism off limits?" York quotes the adviser as asking. "We're having to spend days answering questions about Rick's faith, which he has been open about. Romney will turn on a dime when you talk about religion. We're getting asked about specific tenets of Rick's faith, and when Romney says, 'I want to focus on the economy,' [the press says,] ‘OK, we'll focus on the economy.' "

In this Lenten season we are called upon to be generous of spirit, so let's start there. The Santorum campaign is under siege. Mitt Romney and his backers are dropping millions of dollars in ads on his head. He's being called to account for everything he's said for his entire career in an atmosphere that doesn't allow for reasoned discussion. The press accounts of some of his recent comments, like his remark about Obama's phony theology, have cast him in the worst possible light before letting him clarify.

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