(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

BY CHARLIE MCKEAGUE

ANCHOR MEGAN MURPHY

His momentum - churning - and his comments now burning.  We’re talking about Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum.  During a campaign stop in Sioux City, Iowa, on Sunday, Santorum called out black Americans on welfare. Have a listen - from CBS News.

"I don't want to make black people's lives better by giving them somebody else's money; I want to give them the opportunity to go out and earn the money and provide for themselves and their families."

CBS’s Scott Pelley was right there to read him his quote - and ask for some clarification.  This is his response...

“Let me just say, no matter what, I want to make every lives better. I don’t want anybody, and I think if you look at what I’ve been saying I’ve been pretty clear about my concern for dependency in this country and concern for people not being more dependent on government no matter what their race or ethnicity is.”

Most of the reaction to Santorum’s comments - can be found on the web.   The major cable networks are still focused on his surge in the polls - and his chances of taking Iowa.  A writer for Unicorn Booty did dig in - asking -- really, Rick?

“First of all, white people on public assistance far outnumber black people. FACT. ... Second of all, who the heck asked you about black people?”

Turns out - nobody asked him about African Americans.  His comments came after being asked: “How do we get off this crazy train?” and “And, where do we go from here?”  Regardless - a writer for Comedy Central’s Indecision blog - says maybe he has a point about those people in Iowa - or does he?

“...Maybe Santorum was talking about The Blacks of Iowa, a typical farm family that receives significantly more in federal spending than it sends to Washington in tax payments. As a whole, Iowa takes in 10% more in federal outlays than it delivers in revenues, compared to the approximately 60 cents on the dollar expended on New Jersey. It's about time someone spoke up about th[ese] agriculture subsidy welfare queens.”

While recently Santorum has seen a big push in polls - and has long been considered the darkhorse of the GOP - a writer for Newsone says he could end up like some of his fallen comrades.

“...he might also be a used car salesman and no one is buying his clunker of a product. Remember that the political graveyard of this season’s GOP primaries is already strewn with the careers of such would-be superstars as Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain and Rick Perry.”

According to CBS News -- just 9 percent of welfare recipients are black in Iowa.