It tackles subjects ranging from home schooling to welfare reform, and advocates family over what he describes as the big government village in Clinton's 1996 book, "It Takes a Village."

"The African proverb says, 'It takes a village to raise a child,'" Santorum writes. "The American version is 'It takes a village to raise a child - if the village wants that child.'"

Santorum, chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, is sometimes touted as a possible 2008 presidential candidate. Books outlining a politician's philosophical views often precede campaign announcements.

He could face a tough re-election battle in 2006. Early polling shows him behind state Treasurer Robert P. Casey Jr., the favorite to win the Democratic primary.

In the book, Santorum makes the case that abortion puts the liberty rights of the mother before those of her child just as the liberty rights of slave owners were put before those of the slave.

"This was tried once before in America. ... But unlike abortion today, in most states even the slaveholder did not have the unlimited right to kill his slave," Santorum said.

Santorum questions why Clinton and other liberals tout abortion numbers decreasing if abortion is OK.

"When you look at the politics she would change, her 'politics of meaning' boil down to little more than feel-good rhetoric masking a radical left agenda," Santorum said.

While first lady in 1993, in a philosophical address at the University of Texas at Austin, Clinton called for "a new politics of meaning" and said the country should pay more attention to its values.

Clinton, D-N.Y., declined Tuesday through a spokeswoman, Lorrie McHugh-Wytkind, to respond to the book.

But T.J. Rooney, the Democratic Party's state chairman, released a statement saying Santorum is out of step with the state and "every Pennsylvania woman in particular should be offended."

Santorum said early in his career he was reluctant to take part in the anti-abortion cause, but an impassioned speech by then-Sen. Bob Smith, R-N.H., helped change his mind.

"You see, all politicians know that when you engage in any traditional values issue, especially abortion, the news media immediately labels you. ... Adjectives like intolerant, rigid, far-right, mean-spirited, extreme, hard-line and zealous will routinely be used to describe you," Santorum said.

© 2005 Associated Press

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