SAN ANTONIO — Presidential candidate Rick Santorum on Thursday said
Republicans should give President Barack Obama another term if Santorum
isn't the GOP nominee and for a second day compared rival Mitt Romney to
an Etch A Sketch toy.

Santorum reiterated an argument he has made before: The former
Massachusetts governor is not conservative enough to offer voters a
clear choice in the fall election and that only he can provide that
contrast.
"You win by giving people a choice," Santorum said during a
campaign stop in Texas. "You win by giving people the opportunity to see
a different vision for our country, not someone who's just going to be a
little different than the person in there."

Santorum added: "If they're going to be a little different, we might
as well stay with what we have instead of taking a risk of what may be
the Etch A Sketch candidate for the future."

Santorum was referencing Romney adviser Eric Fehrnstrom's comment
Wednesday that "everything changes" for the fall campaign. "It's almost
like an Etch A Sketch," he said on CNN. "You can kind of shake it up and
we start all over again."

The remark reignited criticism of Romney as the type of politician who will say or do anything to win.



Romney, who made no public appearances Thursday, issued a statement
expressing disappointment "that Rick Santorum would rather have Barack
Obama as president than a Republican."

"This election is more important than any one person. It is about the
future of America," he said. "Any of the Republicans running would be
better than President Obama and his record of failure."

Rival Newt Gingrich tweeted: "Rick Santorum is dead wrong. Any GOP nominee will be better than Obama."