http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/rick_santorum RSS Feed for Inq Col Rick Santorum en-us Wed, 07 May 2008 20:57:42 GMT http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/rick_santorum/20080421_The_Elephant_in_the_Room__Why_conservatives_should_support_McCain.html Anyone who knows me knows that I don't shy away from offering my two-cents on the issues of the day, particularly in presidential races. And anyone who has heard me talk about the presidential race over the last few months knows that I've had, shall we say, some serious reservations about John McCain's candidacy. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/rick_santorum/20080410_The_Elephant_in_the_Room__Mandate_for_Catholic_colleges.html Is Pope Benedict XVI coming to America to drop the hammer on the president for the Iraq war? You might think so if your gospel comes courtesy of the mainstream media. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/rick_santorum/20080327_The_Elephant_in_the_Room__One-Day_Democrats__A_bad_idea.html The results are in. Democratic registration numbers have surged to a record four million, and an equally impressive record of an 800,000-vote advantage over Republicans in the state. Have things gotten so bad for the GOP in Pennsylvania that a stampede has begun? http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/rick_santorum/20080313_The_Elephant_in_the_Room__McCain_must_change_views_on_social_issues.html I attended the Council for National Policy meeting last week in New Orleans and listened to John McCain address the who's who of Hillary Rodham Clinton's vast right-wing conspiracy. It was another chance for McCain to, in his words, "not just unite, but reignite the base." http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/rick_santorum/20080228_The_Elephant_in_the_Room__Obama__A_harsh_ideologue_hidden_by_a_feel-good_image.html American voters will choose between two candidates this election year. One inspires hope for a brighter, better tomorrow. His rhetoric makes us feel we are, indeed, one nation indivisible - indivisible by ideology or religion, indivisible by race or creed. It is rhetoric of hope and change and possibility. It's inspiring. This candidate can make you just plain feel good to be American. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/rick_santorum/20080214_The_Elephant_in_the_Room__The_conservative_jury_is_still_out_on_backing_McCain.html Why are so many conservative Republicans upset about the inevitable nomination of Sen. John McCain, and what are we going to do about it? http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/rick_santorum/20071220_The_Elephant_in_the_Room___Mitt_Romney_and_religion__politics_and_faith.html 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. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/rick_santorum/20080131_The_Elephant_in_the_Room__Reducing_U_S__oil_appetite.html 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. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/rick_santorum/20080103_The_Elephant_in_the_Room___5_characters_reject_abortion_in_a_cultural_shift_in_movies.html 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. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/rick_santorum/20080117_The_Elephant_in_the_Room__Major_role_for_Pa__GOP.html 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.