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Keller @ Large: The Truth About Rick Santorum

BOSTON (CBS) - Soon-to-be forgotten presidential candidate Rick Santorum has had it with the news media.

Listen to Jon's commentary:

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He wants us to stop "distorting" and "spinning" and tell "the truth" for once, and you know something?

He's right.

I accept that challenge, and will now apply it to a timely topic at hand – Rick Santorum.

Campaigns are grueling, flawed exercises, but they do serve a purpose.

Over time, under the scrutiny and pressure of running for high office, the true character of the candidates is often revealed, for better or, in Santorum's case, for worse.

Since he stepped into the spotlight in January with his emergence as a competitive candidate, we've learned a few things about Santorum, and one of them is that he is at times an ill-tempered oaf.

This was on display Sunday in a tantrum he threw at a New York Times reporter who tried to question him about his claim that Mitt Romney is "the worst Republican in the country to put up against Barack Obama."

Watch the video and you'll see Santorum's temper go from zero to sixty in nothing flat, jabbing his finger at the reporter as he berates him for supposedly "lying" and "distorting" Santorum's words.

After dropping a barnyard curse in front of startled admirers, he continues to glare at and harangue the reporter.

One of his daughters, with a worried look on her face, grabs his arm as if to calm him down, but he ignores her and keeps on sniping at the reporter, finally telling him with a sneer: "You don't care at all about the truth."

Well, here's some truth for you, Senator: boorish behavior like that is what's helped torpedo your candidacy.

JFK's speech on religion made you want to "throw up"?

The President's a "snob" for encouraging kids to go to college?

Are you kidding me?

Campaigns sometimes tell us who's presidential material and who isn't.

This is one of those times.

How's that for some truth?

You can listen to Keller At Large on WBZ News Radio every weekday at 7:55 a.m. and 12:25 p.m. You can also watch Jon on WBZ-TV News.

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