Santorum visits court, says he’s best GOP candidate vs. Obama on healthcare

Rick Santorum visited the Supreme Court Monday and accused Mitt Romney of not wanting to repeal the Obama administration’s healthcare law.

Speaking on the high court’s steps just after the first of three days of oral arguments on the national law ended, Santorum said Romney’s absence was proof that Santorum is the only candidate in the race who actually wants to repeal the law.

“There’s one candidate in this race who can actually make the contrast that is necessary between … the conservative position, and one that is overwhelmingly supported by the American public, and one that Barack Obama believes in, and that’s Rick Santorum,” Santorum said.

{mosads}Santorum said Romney was “uniquely disqualified to make the case” because of the Massachusetts healthcare law he championed as governor of that state.

“The worst person to make that case is Mitt Romney and that’s why I say we’re here today and he’s not,” Santorum said.

Santorum also doubled down on an encounter he had with a New York Times reporter on Sunday.

During a campaign event, Santorum said Romney was “the worst Republican in the country to put up against Barack Obama.” Times reporter Jeff Zeleny asked Santorum on the ropeline of the event if he really thought Romney was the worst Republican to go against Obama. Santorum snapped that the comment he made was in reference to healthcare, adding that Zeleny was “distorting” his words.

“It’s bulls–t,” Santorum said.

On the court steps on Monday, Santorum stood by his comments in the encounter.

“I don’t regret it at all. He’s the worst candidate to go against Barack Obama on the most important issue of the day,” Santorum said. “That’s what I said yesterday. That’s what I’ve said in every single speech I’ve given throughout the course of this campaign.”