Rick Santorum's new attack ad against Mitt Romney doesn't use any spoken words — merely flashes quotations from and about the former Massachusetts governor.
The 30-second ad, airing statewide in Michigan, flashes quote after quote on a black screen. The only sound is a sharp ping as each new quote airs.
" 'I don't line up with the National Rifle Association (NRA)' — Mitt Romney Source: The Boston Globe," the first text in the ad reads.
"I will preserve and protect a woman's right to choose," the ad also quotes Romney as saying.
The ad also features quotations hitting Romney on his signing of the Massachusetts healthcare law, as a prodigious user of earmarks and as a tax hiker.
"As Governor, Romney requested millions in U.S. earmarks," another slide says.
The ad ends with a line that reads "Rick Santorum for President. A Trusted Conservative" and an appearance by Santorum saying he approves the ad.
The ad appears as polls in Michigan show the race is within the margin of error, with a couple of points separating Romney and Santorum. It also follows Wednesday night's contentious GOP debate, in which the two candidates argued over government spending, earmarks and healthcare reform.
"Since Mitt Romney refuses to talk about his own liberal record — we figured we'd show people what Mitt Romney says about Mitt Romney. We wanted to give Gov. Romney's long-held positions and statements an opportunity to be heard," Santorum spokesman J. Hogan Gidley said in a statement.
