Rick Santorum

Rick Santorum was a U.S. senator from Pennsylvania from 1995 to 2007. During his tenure, he served on several important committees, including eight years on the Armed Services Committee and six on the Finance Committee. He is the author of "It Takes a Family: Conservatism and the Common Good." He is writing a second book on the war against a radical, Islamic fascist enemy and its growing global alliances. He is VP of Business Development at Reston, VA-based MPower Media and is a commentator on the Fox News Channel.

His column, "The Elephant in the Room," appears every other Thursday on The Inquirer's Commentary Page.

The Elephant in the Room: No way to preach tolerance

Opponents of same- sex marriage have faced persecution in California.

By Rick Santorum

Posted 2:05am

Kids need a mom and a dad. Californians who think the state's marriage law should reflect this deeply held belief were forced to appeal directly to the people, with a 2008 referendum to overturn a state Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage. Proposition 8, an amendment to the state constitution defining marriage as being between one man and one woman, passed easily.

John Baer: State of Obama: Time to produce, not just proclaim
Michael Smerconish: Drunken driving while unconscious
Stu Bykofsky: Enforce the car-phone law

The Elephant in the Room: Voting GOP with their feet - 01/14/2010: Population trends are favoring Republicans who run for president and Congress.

By Rick Santorum

The Census Bureau last week launched efforts to get you to fill out the decennial 10-question survey that will be sent out in March. State and local officials will be inundating you with pleas to do your duty and send in your census forms.
The Elephant in the Room: Predictions you can't bank on - 12/31/2009: By Rick Santorum

Here are my predictions for 2010: Iran. Let's start with some good news for President Obama. This year the confrontation with Iran I've been warning about for four years will come to a head, but not in the form of Israeli air strikes.
The Elephant in the Room: Challenging science dogma - 12/17/2009: As with evolution, the 'consensus' on climate change has become an ideology.

By Rick Santorum

Questioning the scientific consensus in pursuit of the truth is an important part of how science has advanced through the centuries. But what happens when the scientific consensus becomes an ideology that trumps the pursuit of truth? Answer: Those making legitimate inquiries are ostracized, the careers of dissenters are destroyed, and debate is stifled.
The Elephant in the Room: Catholics must heed teachings - 12/03/2009: By Rick Santorum

The health-care debate has provided its share of teachable moments. The one at hand has little to do with health care.
The Elephant in the Room: Diversity, but at what cost? - 11/19/2009: Political correctness in the military is not merely absurd. It's dangerous.

By Rick Santorum

Six U.S. Naval Academy students were to form the color guard at Game 2 of the World Series, played Oct. 29 at Yankee Stadium. Everything was going fine until the academy brass discovered something terribly amiss, and Capt. Matthew Klunder jumped into action. Klunder, the commandant of midshipmen, ordered that two members of the color guard be replaced.
The Elephant in the Room | Mitt Romney and religion; politics and faith - 12/20/2007: By Rick Santorum

What role should religion play in the public square? How did my own Roman Catholicism shape my work as a senator? Such questions were never far from my mind while I served in Congress. So, when Mitt Romney gave his "religion speech," I listened not as a political analyst, but as someone who wrestled with this subject for more than a decade.
The Elephant in the Room | 5 characters reject abortion in a cultural shift in movies - 01/03/2008: By Rick Santorum

I begin this new year with greater hope for our culture. That is saying something, given our pop culture's violence, gratuitous coarseness, hyper-commercialism, and obsession with sex and celebrity. I can sympathize with parents who are increasingly tempted to gather their children and retreat to the catacombs. But don't head down there just yet. This last year saw something that we should take heart in.
The Elephant in the Room: Major role for Pa. GOP - 01/17/2008: Delegates who go to the convention uncommitted could nominate the best candidate based on the situation in September, not the situation in April.

By Rick Santorum

The Republican presidential race will be over by Pennsylvania's April 22 primary. That's what pundits have been saying for some time now, and they may even be right. But, after Mitt Romney's victory in the Michigan primary on Tuesday, it is all but certain that four or even five viable candidates will fight for delegates in the 21 states holding Super Tuesday primaries on Feb. 5. Bottom line: Pennsylvania could matter big time if Keystone State Republicans play it smart.
The Elephant in the Room: Reducing U.S. oil appetite - 01/31/2008: This is one cause that could be helped by smart mandates and taxing.

By Rick Santorum

Free heating oil for the poor! That's what Joe Kennedy II has been peddling on TV recently. Sounds great, right? What's not to like about free? Of course, the devil's always in the details when it comes to "free," and this time the devil is more than a metaphor. This heating oil to our poor neighborhoods is flowing from Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, whose poor are poorer and greater in number, percentage-wise.
The Elephant in the Room: The conservative jury is still out on backing McCain - 02/14/2008: By Rick Santorum

Why are so many conservative Republicans upset about the inevitable nomination of Sen. John McCain, and what are we going to do about it?