Santorum Blasts Perry in Denver

DENVER — Rick Perry drew direct fire from a potential rival Friday night when GOP presidential contender Rick Santorum attacked the Texas governor’s recent comments about how far states can go in setting policies on gay marriage and abortion.

It was the first time Perry, who is assembling a cadre potential donors for a likely presidential race, has come under sustained attack from a GOP White House contender.

Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator, criticized Perry three different times at the Western Conservative Summit, where both are speaking to conservative activists. First, before a book signing event, Santorum told reporters he had a “difference of opinion” with Perry on gay marriage and said it was wrong and divisive to create a patchwork of marriage laws in the 50 states. Then, during a question-and-answer session with activists, Santorum unloaded on the governor.

“States do not have the right to destroy the American family. It is our business,’’ he said. “It is not fine with me that New York has destroyed marriage. It is not fine with me that New York is setting a template that will cause great division in this country.”

Santorum was referring to Perry’s now-famous statement last week in Aspen that he was “fine” with New York adopting a gay marriage law. Perry, citing 10^th Amendment protections of states’ rights, had also said that it was “their business.” Perry has since backtracked from the remarks, telling a prominent social conservative leader that he was not actually "fine" with New York's gay marriage law. That didn't dissuade Santorum, who has obviously been following Perry's comments closely.

He didn’t refer to Perry by name during his remarks on stage. But speaking to reporters outside the ballroom where he had just delivered a keynote addresses, Santorum confirmed that he was talking about the Texas governor. And he said he doesn't think Perry has stepped away at all from his views on states' rights.

“He didn’t back away, he doubled down and said these are state issues,” Santorum said. “They are not state issues. These are issues that have universal implications in this country.” Santorum said issues like gay marriage and abortion are too fundamental to be left up to the states to decide. Abortion is legal in all states under the pivotal 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision, but before that state laws determined whether women could get one.

Perry spokesman Mark Miner declined to comment on Santorum's attacks.

But during his remarks to the audience, Perry made a brief reference to the controversy.

"You know I said the other day that the 10th Amendment frees New York State to define marriage as they please, but the traditional definition suits Texas and this governor just fine," he said. Perry didn't back away from his praise of the 10th Amendment, either, saying states need to push back against an overreaching federal government.

Perry has seen his presidential stock rise in recent days. A Gallup poll of Republican and Republican-leaning voters showed he is running virtually neck and neck with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. In Denver, Perry seemed to be looking past his possible GOP rivals and concentrated his ire on President Barack Obama.

"The mix of arrogance and audacity that guides that Obama Administration is an affront to every freedom loving American, and a threat to just about every private sector job," Perry said.

The governor did not take questions from the audience in Denver as Santorum did. But beforehand, he signed dozens of copies of books from conference participants who were eager to snap them up. Perry sold far more copies of his books than Santorum, who was also signing copies of his own tome — It Takes a Family. The two men were sitting about 20 feet away from each other but never spoke to each other or, it seemed, even made eye contact.

Santorum was mostly signing programs. There was still a line of people waiting for Perry to sign a copy of Fed Up! when Santorum left.