Rick Santorum’s games

Rick Santorum says he voted for No Child Left Behind even though it was “against the principles I believed in.” He explained during the February 22 Republican presidential debate: “When you’re part of the team, sometimes you take one for the team, for the leader.” But Santorum didn’t just vote for No Child Left Behind. He touted its principles and boasted of his support for at least half a decade after it became law.

While running for re-election to the U.S. Senate in 2006, Santorum hailed NCLB as “the most historic legislative initiative enhancing education opportunities to pass Congress in decades. This legislation sets important standards for our schools, our teachers and our children. By setting high accountability standards, NCLB encourages teachers and schools to excel.”

Here are other examples, unearthed with the help of Washington Post research editor Alice Crites:

—On April 19, 2001, Santorum bragged that the bill would deliver $1.5 billion in additional federal funding for education to his state: “This additional funding, combined with rigorous accountability and increased flexibility, will ensure that no child is left behind in Pennsylvania.”

—In December 2001, Santorum said it “helps to meet our number-one domestic priority of granting the best education possible by allowing parents, teachers, and local communities to decide what’s best for our children.”

—In May 2004, he said NCLB “has proved to be a monumental step in transforming existing educational policy and focusing our educational priorities on achieving academic proficiency for all of our children.”

—In September 2004, Santorum wrote: “No Child Left Behind is bringing hope and progress to Pennsylvania’s students, parents, and teachers. . . . Children are being given the opportunity to achieve new levels of learning. . . . Children are already beginning to reap the benefits of the education reform.”

If I were a Republican voter, I’d want to know: If all of that was tactical dissembling, how can we tell when you’re telling the truth?