<img src=http://images.huffingtonpost.com/gen/104810/thumbs/s-RICK-SANTORUM-large.jpg> September 15, 2009 Categories: 2012 Santorum may challenge 'injurious' Obama Rick Santorum affirmed on an RNC conference call -- aimed at attacking Arlen Specter -- that he's considering a run for president in 2012 -- because, he said, the Obama presidency is "injurious to America." "The dynamic has changed," Santorum said. "A lot of folks who might not have thought about running against an incumbent president" are now considering it. He cited Obama's lower poll numbers and his failure to "transform" and unify the country. "A lot of people are going to take a look and see wht they can do to try to confront this presidency, which many of us -- as you're seeing from the tea parties and the like -- which many of us believe is injurious to America," Santorum said, saying the 2012 race is "something that I think I would consider." Santorum also elaborated on his opposition to the use of reconciliation to pass health care legislation; the parliamentary procedure was used, with his support, in the Bush years to pass the controversial 2003 tax cuts and a range of other measures, including opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling. Santorum called ANWR drilling "fairly minor" in its impact on the land and on the economy "You're talking about drilling holes, as opposed to rejiggering and reconstructing the entire health care system of this country," the former Pennsylvania senator said. "A tax bill is by definition a revenue bill - it affects the budget. That's what reconciliation is for," he said. "This is a major policy initiative in an area that goes beyond the federal government's balance sheets -- that to me makes it an abomination." He warned that the procedure would turn the bill into a "Rube Goldberg machine." UPDATE: A Democrat notes that Santorum didn't always consider ANWR a minor matter of a few holes: âI believe that ANWR has the potential to play a significant role in reducing our dependence on foreign oil, and I support exploring this area in a safe and environmentally sound way," he wrote in 2006. http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0909/Santorum_may_challenge_injurious_Obama.html