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PSU alum Santorum calls Paterno question 'ridiculous'

Santorum seems flummoxed by the child sexual abuse scandals within the Catholic Church...and at Penn State.

When it comes to what he considers "family values," there are very few topics that Rick Santorum won't pipe up about. You probably already know what the ex-senator and ex-Pennsylvanian thinks about homosexuality or birth control, and now he's promising to somehow (drone strikes?) abolish porn on the Internet.

But there's two social issues that seem to flummox this Catholic alumnus of what he calls "liberal icon" Penn State. That would be the child sexual abuse scandals within the Catholic Church...and at Penn State.

Here's the latest:

Santorum's campaign website statesthat President Barack Obama "seems to favor pornographers over children and families" by failing to prioritize prosecution of child pornographers.

"If we were to replace 'Barack Obama' with the name 'Joe Paterno,' could we say that Joe Paterno seemed to be favoring a child rapist over the Penn State football program?" radio host Bruce DuMont asked Sunday, referring to the former Penn State football coach who resigned after allegations that he ignored reports that [assistant coach Jerry] Sandusky had molested children.

Santorum attended Penn State and once sponsoredSandusky for a "Congressional Angels in Adoption" award. (The sexual abuse allegations had not yet surfaced at the time.)

"That's sort of an insulting question," Santorum replied, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. "It's a ridiculous question, Sir, and I'm not going to answer it. You're welcome to ask a question. That doesn't mean I'm going to answer absurd questions."

It's not an absurd question at all. At least Santorum's answer wasn't as bad as the famous episode when he blamed the sex-abuse scandals of the Catholic Church in Boston on that city's liberal politics. But for Santorum to express outrage over every social issue except the scandals in his own church and his own alma mater instantly sets off the hypocrisy meter. We'll know it's topped out when he finally lays the blame for Jerry Sandusky on those "Penn State liberals" who gave him bad grades.