Obama adviser: Santorum takes 'divisive positions'

[February 15, 2012]  WASHINGTON (AP) -- A top adviser to President Barack Obama's re-election campaign says Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum has taken "divisive positions" on key social issues.

David Axelrod tells "CBS This Morning" he believes voters don't yet know Santorum very well. And he declines to speculate on how tough a race the former Pennsylvania senator could give Obama.

Axelrod says when people begin to look closely at Santorum's positions, "we'll get a better idea" of how well he'll do. The former White House adviser also says the GOP race has been overcome by "negativism" and that has a "dispiriting" impact on voters.

As for the Obama re-election campaign, Axelrod says: "We don't get exhilarated by good numbers. We're not devastated by bad poll numbers. We just stick to our knitting and keep going."

[Associated Press]

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