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SALT LAKE CITY — Rick Santorum said Monday that he would consider an invitation to be Mitt Romney's vice presidential nominee.
Santorum told the Christian Broadcasting Network's Brody File that he would not rule out the option, saying he would "do whatever is necessary to help our country."
The statement comes after vitriol-filled week during which the Romney and Santorum camps each exchanged barbed attacks on the other's dedication to the GOP.
Santorum swears at media member
Rick Santorum raised eyebrows Sunday by swearing during a heated exchange with a New York Times reporter. Referencing an earlier speech by Santorum, the reporter questioned him about calling Romney "the worst Republican" to run against Pres. Obama in November.
Visibly aggravated, Santorum accused the reporter of lying and told him he had been talking about Obamacare specifically.
"Stop lying," he said. "Quit distorting my words ... if I see it, it's bull (expletive)."
Santorum defended himself Monday, saying the move made him a "real Republican."
If you haven't cursed out a New York Times reporter during the course of a campaign, you're not really a real Republican, is the way I look at it.
–Rick Santorum
"If you haven't cursed out a New York Times reporter during the course of a campaign, you're not really a real Republican, is the way I look at it," he said.
The candidate's campaign later sent out an email asking for donations and saying the candidate was ready to "take on The New York Times."
"I think it is high time that conservatives find the courage to expose the liberal press for what they are, a defender and enabler of Romney's and Obama's liberal agendas," it read in part.
The email also urged recipients to donate the cost of a subscription to The New York Times to the Santorum campaign, instead.
Cain expects to ignite a frenzy
Herman Cain is writing a book.
The "999: The Revolution" book, due out in mid-April, highlights Cain's "999" tax plan and makes an argument for why the country needs the plan.
According to the product description on Amazon, the book "focuses on fundamental reforms that will make our economy soar as it did in the 80s and 90s."
"999: THE REVOLUTION shows why the country needs Herman Cain's signature 999 tax plan and the elimination of a tax code that holds us back, robs us of our initiative, discourages jobs, and swamps our economy with imports," according to the description.
Cheney's new heart
The majority of transplants occur in 50- to 64- year-olds, according to UNOS.
Former Vice President Dick Cheney received a heart transplant Saturday at the age of 71, igniting a debate over whether he was given preferential status due to his former position.
Cheney had severe congestive heart failure and had suffered from five heart attacks over the past quarter of a century before his transplant Saturday. Doctors have disagreed over whether Cheney was too old to receive a transplant — some saying the heart should have gone to a younger candidate, and others saying being a good match is more important than being young.
Heart transplants for patients over age 65 are not common, but they do happen. Of the 2,300 transplants that took place in 2011, 332 were over age 65, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing. More than 70 percent of patients live at least five years after the procedure; the number is slightly lower for patients over the age of 65.
The majority of transplants occur in 50- to 64-year-olds, according to UNOS.
The family of the former vice president released a statement through an aide.
"Although the former vice president and his family do not know the identity of the donor, they will be forever grateful for this lifesaving gift," aide Kara Ahern said.
