Rick Santorum took some heat in last night's debate for conceding that he had made a mistake in "taking one for the team" in voting for the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act. Ron Paul and Mitt Romney are today making a big deal about how that shows that Santorum lacks principle. Really? First, of course, let's recall that Romney at the time was a pro-choice businessman who was getting ready to run the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, not a sitting U.S. Senator having to actually make decisions on bills. And Paul is a powerless curmudgeon in the House who seems to think politics consists of taking positions that no one else agrees with.
Second, let's look at who else voted for NLCB:
Senator George Allen (R-Va.)
Senator Sam Brownback (R - Kan.)
Senator Jim Bunning (R - Ken.)
Senator Thad Cochran (R - MS)
Senator Bill Frist (R - TN)
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX)
Senator Trent Lott (R-MS)
Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
Senators Shelby and Sessions (R- AL)
Senator Fred Thompson (R-TN)
Senator Strom Thurmond (R-SC)
Hardly a who's who of squishy moderate Republicans, is it? Does anybody really think that pro-choice-soon-to-flip-and-be-pro-Life Mitt Romney of Massachusetts would have voted against the No Child Left Behind Act as a matter of principle? Can you even say it with a straight face?
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