Perry Slams Santorum in Waterloo

Rick Perry sought to draw a clear line between himself and fellow social conservative Rick Santorum at a stop in Waterloo Friday, calling his opponent a Washington insider and suggesting Santorum was not a true conservative.

"Other campaigns say that they're conservative, but the fact is their records don't always square with the rhetoric," Perry said.

"I have great respect for him," Perry said of Santorum. "But yesterday, once again, he defended his prolific pork barrel spending."

As a senator, Santorum voted to raise the debt ceiling eight times, Perry said.

"Asking a Washington insider to stop runaway spending is like asking a bank robber to stop robbing the vault," the Texas governor said. "Washington insiders cannot solve what is broken in Washington, because they're the ones who broke it."

Santorum is possibly Perry's largest rival right now, just days from the Jan. 3 Iowa caucus. Perry, Michele Bachmann and Santorum for the social conservative vote, and in popularity, according to a recent poll.

The crowd of over 100 filled two rooms on the second floor of Doughy Joey's pizza restaurant in Waterloo. Many there said they had either decided to caucus for Perry, but had seriously considered Santorum, or were still trying to pick between the two candidates.

"I want a good conservative candidate," said Linda Dobbyn, of Waterloo, who gave her age as "over 65."

"It's between Santorum and Perry. However, I would take anyone over what we have now."

Kim Constello, 46, of Cedar Falls, said she is planning to caucus for Perry, partly because she likes that he has experience running a government.

"I really like Santorum, too, but you've got to pick somebody sometime," she said.

Not everyone at the event planned to caucus.

"I just like to listen to everybody," said Alex Abbe, 24, a social studies teacher from Kalona. "It's kind of your job as an American to hear the plans for your country."