Rick Santorum in 2011 GOP primary debate in Manchester NH

On Abortion: I've not only taken the pledge; I've taken the bullets

SANTORUM: I think an issue should be looking at the authenticity of that candidate and looking at their record over time and what they fought for. You can look at my record. Not only have I been consistently pro-life. I've not just taken the pledge, I've taken the bullets to go out there and fight for thi and lead on those issues. And I think that's a factor that people should consider. A lot of folks run for president as pro-life and then that issue gets shoved to the back burner. The issue of pro-life, the sanctity and dignity of every human life, not just on the issue of abortion, but with respect to the entire life, and the dignity of people at the end of life, those issues will be top priority issues for me to make sure that all life is respected and held with dignity.

ROMNEY: I'm firmly pro-life

On Civil Rights: Repeal Don't-Ask-Don't-Tell; punish behavior

BACHMANN: I would keep the "don't ask/don't tell" policy.

CAIN: Now that they have changed it, I wouldn't create a distraction trying to turn it over as president.

PAUL: I would not work to overthrow it. We have to remember, rights don't come in groups. We shouldn't have gay rights. Rights come as individuals. If we have this major debate going on, it would be behavior that would count, not the person who belongs to which group.

SANTORUM: The job of the United States military is to protect and defend the people of this country. It is not for social experimentation. It should be repealed. And the commanders should have a system of discipline in place, as Ron Paul said, that punishes bad behavior.

On Energy & Oil: Sagging economy caused by stop sign on oil drilling

SANTORUM: I think we need a president who's optimistic, who has a pro-growth agenda. I'm not going to comment on 5% or 4%. What we need is an economy that's unshackled. And what's happened in this administration is that they have passed oppressive policy and oppressive regulation--Obamacare being first and foremost. Throw on top of that what this president's done on energy. The reason we're seeing this second dip is because of energy prices, and this president has put a stop sign again--against oil drilling, against any kind of exploration offshore or in Alaska, and that is depressing. We need to drill. We need to create energy jobs, just like we're doing, by the way, in Pennsylvania, where we're drilling 3,000 wells this year for gas, and gas prices are down--natural gas prices are down as a result.

On Homeland Security: Terrorism is an asymmetric threat; we need worldwide bases

SANTORUM: We have actually closed down a lot of bases overseas. Look, what we're dealing with is a failure of leadership on this administration's part to actually put together a strategy where we can confront our enemies. And our enemies are asymmetric threats: terrorism. That means that they are not just positioned in the Middle East, but around the world. That means we have to have the ability to confront those threats from around the world, which means we need basing around the world. We do need that basing. We do need to be able to be nimble and to be able to attack where we're attacked because it's not just a threat.

On Immigration: No benefits for illegal immigrants

SANTORUM: Well, I'm the son of a legal immigrant, and believe in legal immigration. But the federal government should not require states to provide government services. And I think most people who come to this country--certainly all people who come here legally--want it because they wanted the opportunities of this country. And that's what we should be offering. We should not be offering to people-- particularly those who broke the law to come here or overstayed their visa--we should not be offering government benefits.

Q: [to Paul]: But should taxpayers have to pay for that care?

PAUL: No, they should not be forced to.

PAWLENTY: I'm a strong supporter of state rights, but if the federal government won't do its job--in this case, protecting and securing our border--then let the states do it. And they will.

On Principles & Values: Govern via both faith & reason

PAWLENTY: Well, the protections between the separation of church and state were designed to protect people of faith from government, not government from people of faith.

Q: How will that affect your decision-making?

SANTORUM: I'm someone who believes that you approach issues using faith and reason. And if your faith is pure and your reason is right, they'll end up in the same place. I think the key to the success of this country, how we all live together, is because we are a very diverse country. We allow everybody, people of faith and no faith, to come in and make their claims in the public square, to be heard, have those arguments, and not to say because you're no a person of faith, you need to stay out, because you have strong faith convictions, your opinion is invalid. Just the opposite--we get along because we know that we--all of our ideas are allowed in and tolerated. That's what makes America work.

On Technology: Make R&D tax credit permanent

BACHMANN: Today the US has the second highest corporate tax rate in the world. We've got to bring that tax rate down substantially so that we're among the lowest in the industrialized world.

Q: [To Santorum]: Your state of Pennsylvania, a big industrial state, has struggled in recent years.

A: We still make things there. And what I learned from growing up in a steel town is that's how the wealth from those who create the jobs gets down. We've been outsourcing those jobs. So what we need to do is a lot of what was said here. I would add another thing: We need to cut the capital gains tax in half, but for manufacturers we need to give a five-year window where we cut it to zero. We want to encourage people to set up jobs here in America. Take that R&D credit, make it permanent, take that innovation and then invest that money here to create that broad middle of America and have that wealth really trickle down.

On Welfare & Poverty: Drafted & managed 1994 Contract with America Welfare Reform

SANTORUM: If you look at my record, I'm someone who's actually accomplished a lot on big issues. Take for example, welfare reform. I drafted the Contract with America Welfare Reform Bill. It was considered this extreme measure. But I managed that bill and we ended up winning. I didn't believe that poverty was the ultimate disability. I believed that people could work and they could succeed. And we brought people together. I got 70 votes [out of 100 in the Senate] to end a federal entitlement. I led and got bipartisan support to do it.

Q: Are you concerned at all about the influence of the Tea Party?

SANTORUM: Not at all. I think the Tea Party is a great backstop for America. It is absolutely essential that we have that backbone to the Republican Party going into this election.