Santorum takes campaign break to finish filing his taxes

UPDATE: Santorum's tax preparation comments to the media blogged below were made before it was announced the candidate's daughter is ill. That is the primary reason he returned to his Pennsylvania home. Thanks to readers for alerting me and good thoughts for the youngster's quick and full recovery

UPDATE 2 (Jan. 30, 2012): Santorum's daughter is better and he's back on the campaign trail, although not in Florida. But true to the original post below, he's decrying the "gutter politics" of the GOP race.

You know things have gotten politically toxic in the race for the Republican presidential nomination when one of the candidates ranks doing taxes ahead of campaigning.

Rick Santorum headed back home to West Chester, Pa., this weekend, leaving Mitt Romney and New Gingrich to duke it out in Florida ahead of that's state's primary on Tuesday.

Santorum said he would rather spend his Saturday sitting at his kitchen table doing his taxes than campaigning in the Sunshine State.

Let's get real. Santorum doesn't have a shot at winning Florida's 50 GOP delegates. That's the real reason for the retreat, which he insists is just temporary.

But by making tax filing seem even mildly preferable by comparison, Santorum underscores the anger that this election season is producing, among candidates as well as voters.

It's not going to be a pretty 2012.

At least Santorum's weekend campaign break means we'll soon get a look at his tax returns. Oh joy.

You also might find these items of interest:

• Comparing presidential — and presidential wannabe — 1040s
• Romney releases 2010, 2011 tax returns
• Marginal tax rates vs. effective tax rates,
  or what Mitt's and Newt's taxes tell us