Over the line, &c.

by Jay Nordlinger

There has hardly ever been a campaigner who hasn’t exaggerated, demonized, scarified, and all the rest of it. It goes with the territory. But there’s a line, I think — and I also think that Rick Santorum, in his battle against Mitt Romney, has crossed it.

Here are some greatest hits from recent days: “Mitt Romney is in bed with Barack Obama.” Romney “passed socialized medicine.” “Mitt’s whole career, he’s been working for liberals.” Romney is “a liberal governor of Massachusetts.” He is “an Occupy Wall Street adherent.”

Not only are these not truthful comments, they’re not even sane. And you want sanity in your nominee, as a bare minimum. Newt Gingrich has dubbed Romney a “Massachusetts moderate.” Who could have guessed that, between the two main not-Romney candidates, Newt would be the more temperate in his rhetoric?

Read more: http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/291989/over-line-c-jay-nordlinger