Santorum Endorsed Romney in 2008

Hard to believe it, but Rick Santorum strongly endorsed Mitt Romney for president in 2008.

The former Pennsylvania senator is rising in Iowa polls as one of the conservative alternatives to the moderate former Massachusetts governor, Mitt Romney.

But now Internet blogs are making hay out of the fact that Santorum offered high praise for Romney as a true conservative when he battled in the 2008 GOP presidential race against other rivals, including Mike Huckabee and John McCain.

Soon after Romney lost the Florida primary in February 2008, Santorum told radio host Laura Ingraham he was endorsing Romney.

Santorum told Ingraham that Romney is “"a guy who has gone through that pressure cooker, who has developed a passion, who understands why he's a conservative and understands the issues, how they weave together."

Santorum added that conservatives are "about traditional values and a traditional way of American life" and that Mitt Romney "understands that, it's not just in his head anymore, it's in his heart."

This year Santorum, a presidential candidate and Romney rival, has said his 2008 endorsement was motivated more by politics than conservative beliefs.

"I made, I hate to say it, a calculated political decision that Romney was the stronger horse and had a better chance to win Super Tuesday with the resources he had," Santorum said. "I like him. The time I spent with him, he was a gentleman. He's very sincere."