Natesh Ajalat blog

Rick Santorum criticizes Sarah Palin for skipping CPAC

Rick Santorum is downplaying remarks he made Tuesday suggesting Sarah Palin is skipping this week's Conservative Political Action Conference because she wouldn't be paid for her speech.

In , the former Pennsylvania senator criticized Palin, suggesting his potential 2012 presidential rival had other "business opportunities to attend to."

"I have a feeling that she has some demands on her time, and a lot of them have financial benefit attached to them," Santorum said, .

The ex-senator also added that Palin's responsibilities as a mother may have also kept her away from CPAC. "I don't live in Alaska and I'm not the mother to all these kids and I don't have other responsibilities that she has," Santorum said.

On Wednesday, Santorum posted a message on Twitter suggesting Politico had twisted his words. "This article is garbage," Santorum , linking to Politico's report. "All I said was-she was VERY busy, period."

But this is hardly the first time that Santorum has taken aim at his potential 2012 rivals. In recent weeks, the ex-senator, who is barely a blip in most of the early 2012 GOP primary polls, has noticeably upped his attacks on other would-be contenders.

Last month, Santorum seemed to slight Palin . Asked if she was qualified to be president, Santorum replied, "She is born in this country, and she's the right age." He's , the candidate he endorsed in '08, for the health care plan he signed into law in Massachusetts. And last week,lacks the foreign policy credentials necessary to win the White House.

So far, the Palin camp hasn't responded to Santorum's swipe. But Tammy Bruce, a conservative radio host close to the Palin camp,of smearing the former Alaska governor. "It's patronizing crap," she . "Nothing less."

(Photo of Santorum in Iowa: Charlie Neibergall/AP)