Ron Paul’s ‘groovy’ new ad calls Santorum a fake conservative

If the enemy of my enemy is my friend, Mitt Romney and Ron Paul are best buds these days.

As Romney fights to stave off a potentially debilitating loss in Michigan’s Feb. 28 primary, Paul is taking to the airwaves there with an ad that reinforces Romney’s message that Rick Santorum betrayed conservative principles on spending when he served in Congress.

“Is this dude serious? Fiscal conservative? Really?” the edgy 30-second spot says.

It says Santorum voted to raise the debt ceiling, doubled the size of the Education Department, and “supported the biggest entitlement expansion since the ‘60s,” referring to the Medicare prescription drug plan.

“Not groovy!”

The ad even seeks to undermine Santorum on social issues, saying he “even hooked Planned Parenthood up with a few million bucks.”

“Once voters learn the truth about both Rick Santorum and Dr. Paul’s records, they’ll clearly see who the real fiscal conservative is and support our campaign,” Paul’s campaign manager writes in an email about the new spot.

Paul hasn’t campaigned much in Michigan yet, as he continues to focus on caucus states voting in the run-up to Super Tuesday. So it may be Romney who stands to benefit most from the attack on Santorum there.

Here’s the full spot: