Santorum, unwilling to let anyone trample on his night of good news, casually dismissed the significance of John McCain's endorsement of Mitt Romney, which is reportedly coming in New Hampshire on Wednesday.

"It's fine. I expected that," he said. "It's a surprise he hasn't done it earlier."

Appearing on CNN, Santorum went on to laud McCain as a "great man" who had sacrificed more for the country than anyone he knew.

"I commend Governor Romney for getting his endorsement," he added, "but I'm not surprised by it. John is a more moderate member of the Republican team and I think he fits in with Mitt's view of the world."

McCain's reputation for moderation (not entirely supported by his record) makes his endorsement a bit of a double-edged sword for Romney. But not in New Hampshire, where the Arizona Republican remains beloved. If anything, it could persuade Santorum to start framing the next contest as an imbalanced, unreliable affair.

"It would be smart timing," one GOP strategist who has worked with McCain said of the endorsement. "Romney wants to win every day moving into New Hampshire. New Hampshire is probably the only place that a McCain endorsement could really help."