Pro-Romney Super PAC Restore Our Future is about to make it rain in eight states. Jonathan Tobin is leery:
[T]he assumption that a Romney “carpet bombing” of Santorum would achieve the same result as the attacks on Gingrich that have helped derail the former speaker’s presidential hopes is mistaken. Going negative on Gingrich merely reinforced the public’s doubts of the speaker’s character and record. … An assault on Santorum may actually play into his hands, because it will make Romney appear like a bully trying to pick on the one candidate who has tried to run a clean campaign. Moreover, for all of Santorum’s vulnerability on financial issues, the longer the race has gone, the more likeable the Pennsylvanian has seemed. That’s the opposite of what has happened to Gingrich.
Daniel Larison believes that Romney could successfully attack Santorum from the right. Byron York was privy to a private meeting of conservative "activists and opinion leaders" with Mitt at CPAC:
In general, a number of participants don't want to see a repeat of the Romney-Gingrich attacks because a) they feel Santorum doesn't deserve it, and b) they believe the negativity has been bad for Republicans overall. … "He does recognize the need to hone the message," says another participant. "That's why he had the meeting." Their advice was for him to add more substance and specificity to his speeches. All the exchanges were entirely cordial and non-confrontational — "Nobody criticized him; nobody said please stop reciting 'America the Beautiful,'" says the participant — but there is no doubt the activists wanted to hear Romney discuss in more detail what he would do if he wins the presidency.
The Dish 