Santorum says he would consider V.P.

WASHINGTON, March 26 (UPI) -- Rick Santorum says he would consider joining Mitt Romney on the ticket if Romney wins the Republican U.S. presidential nomination.

In an interview Monday with the Christian Broadcasting Network's David Brody, the former Pennsylvania senator, who is trailing Romney in the race for delegates, said he will do whatever is necessary to help his country.

"My wife and my kids, we're just busting our tail, because we know their future and all of our children's future is at stake in this election and I don't want to be the guy who has to sit with my granddaughter, 20 years from now, and tell stories about an America where people once were free," Santorum said.

CBS News, however, said Santorum does not appear ready to concede the primary race to his rival.

On "Face the Nation" Sunday, Santorum suggested his campaign is "in much, much better shape than what the numbers that are out there suggest."

Santorum highlighted his recent win in Louisiana, as well as his platform on healthcare, during an appearance Monday on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court, where justices are hearing oral arguments on the constitutionality of President Obama's healthcare law, Politico reported.

"There's only one candidate … who can make this the central issue that will be a winning issue to win the presidency back," Santorum said.

Santorum is standing by his clash Sunday with a New York Times reporter on the campaign trail in Wisconsin, The Washington Post reported.

"If you haven't cursed out a New York Times reporter during the course of a campaign, you're not really a real Republican, is the way I look at it," Santorum told Fox News. "I think it is high time that conservatives find the courage to expose the liberal press for what they are, a defender and enabler of Romney's and Obama's liberal agendas."

At a campaign rally in Wisconsin, Santorum said Romney, former governor of Massachusetts, "is the worst Republican in the country to put up against Barack Obama" on healthcare reform, the Los Angeles Times said.

A New York Times reporter later asked, "You said that Mitt Romney is the worst Republican in the country. Is that true?

Visibly angered, Santorum fired back at the reporter and told him to "stop lying." Santorum said Romney is the "worst" on healthcare reform "because he fashioned the blueprint."

"I've been saying it in every speech. Quit distorting my words. If I see it, it's [expletive]. C'mon man, what are you doing?" he said.

The Washington Post said Santorum later released a statement saying he was "aggressively attacked" by a New York Times reporter who was "all too ready to distort my words."