Jim DeMint suggests Romney’s health care bill isn’t a 2012 disqualifier

Is Jim DeMint changing his tune again on Mitt Romney's health care plan?

In an interview with National Review, the South Carolina senator calls Romney a "certainly viable" candidate for the 2012 GOP nomination and says he won't hold past policies against him.

"I endorsed Romney last time, and I think he's a good candidate," DeMint said. "I'm not going to hold any one or two things against a candidate that they've done. I've had some bum votes in my life."

While DeMint didn't specifically mention health care, the issue has been considered Romney's biggest vulnerability in his bid for the GOP nomination.

The legislation, which Romney signed while governor of Massachusetts, requires individuals to obtain health care coverage or face penalties--a mandate that is similar to one included in President Obama's controversial health care law.

Romney's GOP rivals, including Rick Santorum and Tim Pawlenty, have trashed the ex-governor over the legislation, suggesting it makes him a weak candidate against Obama. But Romney has refused to apologize for the bill, insisting he did the right thing for his state.

As The Ticket has previously reported, DeMint has offered mixed signals on whether Romney's health care law disqualifies him for the nomination. In March, the tea party leader, who has been highly critical of Obama's legislation, surprised many people by defending Romney's bill.

"One of the reasons I endorsed Romney (in 2008) is his attempts to make private health insurance available at affordable prices," DeMint said at the time. "For me, I think he started with good ideas that were essentially hijacked by the Democratic legislature."

But just hours after his comments went public, an unnamed DeMint associate insisted his boss was just trying to be nice in defending Romney's legislation and insisted he "would never consider" endorsing the ex-governor in 2012 unless he repudiated the Massachusetts health care law.

That would appear to be at odds with DeMint's latest comments to National Review. He tells the magazine that rather than a perfect voting record, he's looking for a candidate who has "the ability to inspire and show some courage and, I think, take on our party in some cases."