Rick Santorum Implies President Obama Is A ‘Phony’ Christian

GOP candidate says his policy stances are more ‘Bible-based’ than Obama’s

Is GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum running for spiritual advisor-In-chief or commander-in-chief?

Lately, it’s been hard to distinguish. The former Pennsylvania senator spent the weekend beating back criticism -- and then doubled down on comments -- after implying President Barack Obama governs without a faith-based compass.

On Saturday, Santorum told supporters at the Ohio Christian Alliance that Obama’s agenda was “phony theology” not rooted in the “Bible.”

[ALSO READ: Is Religion Obama’s Weak Spot?]

While this is far from the first time strict religious conservatives like Santorum have questioned the president’s Christianity, the candidate’s latest rhetoric is drawing swift rebuke from the Obama re-election campaign.

Former White House press secretary Robert Gibbs, now an Obama re-election campaign advisor, told ABC This Week’s Jake Tapper that Santorum’s words are “well over the line.”

“I think this GOP primary is, in many cases … a race to the bottom. We have seen nastiness, divisiveness, ugliness, distortions of opponents’ records, of the president’s record,” Gibbs said on the Sunday morning talk show.

[ALSO READ: “Obama Has Displayed His Christian Faith”]

When asked to clarify his statements, Santorum nearly doubled down on his (inaccurate) belief that Obama’s White House is not in step with religious Americans on issues of contraception and environmentalism.

Both Tapper and CBS’s Bob Schieffer pressed Santorum on his explanation, as they were likely skeptical of the candidate’s attempts to wiggle out of an obvious attack of the president’s religion.

Again, if Santorum is running for president, he’s got to make a hard left turn to make it clear that he’s interested in improving the economy and not the country’s religious consciousness. It's puzzling to think how the former senator's campaign thinks he'll edge out co-front runner Mitt Romney without primarily focusing on jobs and growth.