Santorum press secretary Alice Stewart says it was an accident when she accused Obama of "radical Islamic policies."
Stewart appeared on MSNBC Monday for an interview with Andrea Mitchell to discuss the controversial comments Santorum made about Obama's "phony theology" over the weekend. As she repeatedly railed against Obama's "radical environmentalist policies," she slipped up and said "Islamic" instead (watch above at 1:25).
Mitchell writes that Stewart quickly called her to clarify that she had misspoken.
Stewart called only moments later -- while the show was on the air -- to say she regretted the slip of the tongue, and to please note that she had misspoken and did not realize until it was pointed out to her that she had used the word "Islamic" by mistake.
Santorum continued a religious critique of Obama on "Face the Nation" Sunday, attacking his theology and deference to "radical environmentalists." HuffPost's Josh Hersh reported:
"I've repeatedly said I don't question the president's faith," Santorum told host Bob Schieffer, denying what some have said was a signal that Santorum had challenged the legitimacy of Obama's Christianity. "I've repeatedly said that I believe the president's Christian -- he says he's Christian. But I am talking about his worldview, the way he addresses problems in this country, and they're different than most people view it in America."
In a speech to Tea Party conservatives on Saturday in Columbus, Ohio, Santorum had dismissed Obama's politics as being based in "some phony theology."
"It's not about you. It's not about your quality of life. It's not about your jobs," Santorum said. "It's about some phony ideal, some phony theology. Oh, not a theology based on the Bible. A different theology."
An incredulous Bob Schieffer began his interview with Santorum Sunday by asking, "What in the world were you talking about?"
"I was talking about the radical environmentalists," Santorum said, suggesting that they believe man should protect the earth, rather than "steward its resources." "I think that is a phony ideal. I don't believe that's what we're here to do... We're not here to serve the earth. That is not the objective, man is the objective."