(CNSNews.com) - GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum on Monday told the South Carolina Tea Party Convention that the nation needs a "conviction conservative - someone who is conservative not just on one issue and not just for one time, but someone who has been a conviction conservative on all of the issues all of the time."

Santorum said he was criticized by pundits for always citing his record on issues, while his opponents mainly talked about what they would do.

"And my response is 'Well, if I had their record, all I would talk about is what I was gonna do too.' But I'm proud of my record, of someone that's gone out and been a strong, principled conservative," Santorum added.

"'m a conservative, because I believe in the founding principles of our country, and if you look at what a conservative is - is to be a steward of a great inheritance. That's what conservatives believe in - that we are stewards of something great, and we want to conserve the greatness of America," he said.