http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/rick_santorum RSS Feed for Inq Col Rick Santorum en-us Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:56:06 GMT http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/rick_santorum/20090604_The_Elephant_in_the_Room__Brace_yourself_for_El_Specter.html Arlen Specter's grand return to the Democratic Party has rocked both political parties in Pennsylvania. Call it the "El Specter" effect. As El Nino raises global temperatures, El Specter has warmed up Pennsylvania's political climate. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/rick_santorum/20090507_The_Elephant_in_the_Room__A_welcome_to_the_party.html Sen. Arlen Specter said after his switch to the Democratic Party last week that he would not be a "party-line voter" or "an automatic 60th vote" to head off a Republican filibuster. He put an exclamation point on those pronouncements by voting against President Obama's $3.5 trillion budget. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/rick_santorum/20090702_The_Elephant_in_the_Room__Obama_s_plan__Or_yours_.html The rubber hit the road in Congress last Friday, but it wasn't a transportation bill or a car-company bailout. It was the House vote on "climate change," which would still be known as "global warming" if average temperatures had not inconveniently failed to go up over the past 11 years. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/rick_santorum/20090716_The_Elephant_in_the_Room__Going_against_democracy.html Hugo Chavez was democratically elected to the presidency of Venezuela - initially, in 1998. Ever since, the Venezuelan strongman has done everything in his power to undermine constitutional democracy, the rule of law, and basic freedoms in Venezuela. In addition, he has inflamed anti-United States sentiment across Latin America, and he has forged alliances with Iranian despot Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian regime's Hezbollah proxies, and terror outfits such as Hamas. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/rick_santorum/20090730_The_Elephant_in_the_Room__Surprised_by_Sen__McCain.html Often wrong, but never in doubt. It's a phrase that was hurled my way a time or two when I was a U.S. senator. It's also an apt synopsis of a column I wrote about John McCain at the beginning of this year. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/rick_santorum/20090827_The_Elephant_in_the_Room__Ignoring_a_doomsday_scenario.html Congress created a commission to study it in 2001. The commission concluded in 2004 that it was "one of a small number of threats that has the potential to hold our society seriously at risk and might result in defeat of our military forces," and that a determined adversary could use the weapon against us without "a high level of sophistication." http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/rick_santorum/20090910_The_Elephant_in_the_Room__Who_will_collect_the_dots_.html Tomorrow is the eighth anniversary of 9/11. I remember the vast destruction that rained down from the heavens. I remember the thousands of innocents slaughtered and the bravery of average Americans on the ground in New York and Washington and in the skies above Pennsylvania. I remember, too, the anxiety about the next terror attack, and I remember the dots. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/rick_santorum/20090924_The_Elephant_in_the_Room__Promises_have_been_broken.html Nothing is more critical to the success of President Obama's health-care legislation than his promise that no American will have to give up his or her health plan. A related promise runs a close second: that the "government option" will create competition for the private sector, not replace it. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/rick_santorum/20091008_The_Elephant_in_the_Room__Christian_freedoms_at_risk.html What do liberal proposals in Congress and state legislatures on marriage, health care, welfare, and employment rights have in common? All will profoundly damage two of our country's most important rights: freedom of conscience and belief. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/rick_santorum/20091022_The_Elephant_in_the_Room__Obama_s_failing_Iran_policy.html Who says campaigns are mere exercises in the politics of personal destruction? Take my last ad against Bob Casey in our 2006 Senate race. An Iraq war veteran spoke into the camera, demanding that the then-state treasurer stop investing state funds in corporations doing business with our enemies - enemies like Iran.