GUT FEELING

Santorum 'Almost Threw Up'

Reading JFK's church-and-state speech.

Talk about a gut reaction. GOP contender Rick Santorum said Sunday on ABC's This Week that he "almost threw up" (watch it here) when he read John F. Kennedy's 1960 speech on religion that said: "I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute." Santorum claimed that JFK effectively said that "faith is not allowed in the public square ... I won’t consult with people of faith." Maybe Santorum needs to brush up on history, since the address—one of the most famous in presidential history—was made at a time when many Protestants thought that JFK—then a presidential candidate, like Santorum—would be controlled by prelates from his church—which is the Roman Catholic church, like Santorum. (Read and hear the speech here.) Santorum charged that it was an extreme view when JFK merely said he won't be told how to act.