Santorum v Paul at convention

Rick Santorum may protect Mitt Romney's flank should Ron Paul try to mess with the Republican platform in August. From the NYT:

Mr. Santorum, the former Pennsylvania senator, had sharp differences with Mitt Romney when both were seeking the presidential nomination, but since bowing out of the race, Mr. Santorum has thrown his support behind the presumptive nominee and has papered over their differences.

The same cannot be said of Mr. Paul, the Texas libertarian who is still technically a candidate and who will be bringing  more than 200 delegates to Tampa. Mr. Santorum, appearing on the ABC News program “This Week,” suggested that fireworks with the Paul group were a distinct possibility.

Asked about his own interest in influencing the Republican platform, Mr. Santorum said, “I like the platform that we have right now.”

He then added: “I’m concerned that Ron Paul and some of his supporters out there are looking for a platform fight. And I want to make sure that we have strong, principled conservatives there who stood with me in our primary fight to go there and counterbalance the effect of the Paul folks.

UPDATE: Santorum has not spoken to Romney since their meeting on Mount Washington May 4. From Robert Costa at the National Review:

Santorum has spoken with Romney once since the primary ended, in a face-to-face meeting in western Pennsylvania, but the pair does not keep in touch via phone or e-mail. “I haven’t heard anything from him personally since our meeting, but our staffs talk,” he says. “He knows that we can be helpful if he needs us.” The former senator also does not expect to be on the ticket. He hasn’t been asked to submit any personal information for a potential veep vetting. “That’s Governor Romney’s decision,” he says. “I’m not going to weigh in on that.”