But who else? Americans need someone the exactly opposite of B.H.Obama, not a perfect ruler, as there is no such a thing. All of them are human beings, have vices and virtudes. Don matter what the media may call the republican nominee, the media is already irrelevant. The social media is the new media. Let's make Facebook, Twitter, My Space, and many other channels our voice. We need desperately, and by saying that remember I'm not an american but another interested part (all the world is), get rid of a crazy democrat president in White House. Let's get back a little sanity!

"American religion these days is heavy on forgiveness and light on sin." Which, lets face it, is part of the problem.

"...is not the sort of language most preachers, to say nothing of political figures, employ today."

If this is true of the preachers - then most assuredly SHAME ON THEM. My pastor preaches from cover to cover, because that's the way it was intended to be taught. How can one appreciate God's great mercy & forgiveness if one doesn't understand the Fathers furious wrath and the consequences of sin?

My only regret about Sen Santorums campaign is his failure to get on the VA ballot.

Maybe it is something preachers should be saying. That's the problem as I see it. A couple of years ago someone in the media said that the Republicans basically have to back off of the conservative values and principles in order to be electable. In other words we have to abandon our values to "save" our values? I don't think so. We've become allergic to truth.

I am tired of hearing why some candidate cannot win because of our propaganda media. They said the same of Ronald Reagan and he won easily. Stop this nonsense!

If people are not moral, the nation is doomed no matter who becomes president.

Well, you know what, a lot of us in Grand Rapids, Mi are very concerned about exactly what Rick is talking about. I fully realize that we here are probably out of the mainstream, in fact some in my own family have forsaken Godly value.

Don't need Santorum because the media won't like him? The media is going to come down hard on whoever the nominee is, they're dedicated to reelecting the travesty in the White House. We need to present a definite change, the total opposite of Obama. To do less would be to bow down to them and say "You're right, let's run up the hammer and sickle."

Id say the writer is way wrong. We need the polar opposite to BHO and Rick is that person.

And so you would pick someone who will continue to hide under their desk. Scared to death to raise the head, total fear of the left and their media, and nothing will ever change or get done. We have hidden long enough, it does not work. While we play safsies, America loses ground. We need reform not conform. Somebody has got to stand up to it, or we might as well just hand over the keys to the Union to the leftwing thugs, liars, and anti-constitutionists. I am not willing to do that. I will vote Santorum, even if you give the primary to Romney, and if the split cost the election, my conscience is clear, I am not the one selling out.

If Mona's right; and we can't elect a decent and Godly man because... well... because he's said too many decent and Godly things, then get your stored food, guns, and necessities together and head for your survival retreat, folks. Because - if RICK SANTORUM can't win, then no one can win who would even WANT to turn this country around. And, that especially includes Mitt-iocre Romney!

Charen's point is valid that Santorum will have to fight hard to get his message out through the media's clutter and clamor seeking to re-elect the incumbent. THAT is a given.

I'll restate the same point made yesterday in several places. Santorum MUST, repeat MUST, turn aside questions about his personal faith and beliefs on various social controversies. Those are sidebars and irrelevancies.

The ONLY issues he should address on air are those which the President has constitutional authority to address. He must answer those questions as Ron Paul would answer them.

IF the President doesn't have authority to address, say contraception or abortion or gay marriage, then that question is irrelevant in the campaign and Santorum should say just that.

The President does have authority to address matters of foreign policy, taxes and spending and budgets and debt. THESE are the issues to which the GOP candidate must focus the discussion.

The media will do its best to keep the discussion on sidebars and irrelevancies and to paint Santorum as the SNL CHURCH LADY who answers every question with "Satan!"

Whomever the GOP nominates, they must return focus to the Constitution, and what a President's proper role should be, and what the GOP candidate would do IN THAT OFFICE.

The Presidents opinions about our culture and morality are not proper issues even though morality is essential to our form of government. The President's fidelity and faithfulness to his OATH OF OFFICE is the key.

The reason the Constitution requires that there be no religious test in selecting a President is because it is easier to pass a religious test than it is to actually practice true religion before God. One can be imitated the other must be demonstrated. Therein lies the problem with the modern paid media messengers. They like to raise up many religious tests to hide the integrity of those who actually do justly, love mercy and walk humbly in obedience to God and to the Constitution. Religious tests are used by Satan's paid media messengers to deceive the world into electing his illusions into positions of power. Character is what reveals whether a person is worthy of our trust. Paid media messengers are paid to ignore this.

Mona, you are eloquent, but you do not persuade.

The media is a strong part of Americas problem. As a group they are heavily biased in liberalism.

We need some conservative tv staions and especially some conservative news stations.

Fox news is not conservative, they try to be fair and balanced. They have many stand by dolt liberals spewing liberal propaganda, Colmes, Beckel, Williams eceterra.

Perhaps a well endowed conservative foundation could see this need and fill this very much needed, worth while endeavor. Thank you.

I agree with most all of the comments. I do wish Mr. Santorum would make it clear every time the "Satan Thing" comes up that he was not campaigning for anything, he was speaking at a CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY. I fully agree with Steve, he must turn aside these media gotchas and talking points as not being relative to the job of the President.

Santorum will be the 45th President in 2013!

It is increasingly evident that the (in-their-own-minds[?!]) mainstream media's hostility is far less of an electoral handicap than it ever before has been: The electorate - meaning those who actually vote - is more sophisticated than ever before and made up more than ever of people who just don't believe them.

It may actually be a plus for Santorum that the (itom)MSM hate him above all others. Imagine the contrast implicit as these major purveyors of socialist propaganda and cultural degradation turn their guns on a man who has made some political misjudgments but who actually and visibly loves his family and puts them before his own ambitions. It's like the contrast between Mr Potter and George Bailey, or Mr Smith and his corrupt senatorial colleague, or Frodo Baggins and the orcs in the Tower of Cirith Ungol, or - dare I say it - Rick's Lord and the alliance of convenience between Pontius Pilate, Herod Agrippa, and Caiaphas.

In most times, perhaps, the calculation of the conservative punditocracy, based on conventional wisdom and past experience, serves the movement well. But these are not most times, and it may well prove that Ms Charen's reasoning falters on one fundamental component of the American character -- we hate bullying, and that goes as much for the kind carried out by Mitt Romney's super-PAC (and, if one theory is to be credited, a complicit Ron Paul) as the kind carried out by Barry O and the Chicago thugocracy.

It is increasingly evident that the (in-their-own-minds[?!]) mainstream media's hostility is far less of an electoral handicap than it ever before has been: The electorate - meaning those who actually vote - is more sophisticated than ever before and made up more than ever of people who just don't believe them.

It may actually be a plus for Santorum that the (itom)MSM hate him above all others. Imagine the contrast implicit as these major purveyors of socialist propaganda and cultural degradation turn their guns on a man who has made some political misjudgments but who actually and visibly loves his family and puts them before his own ambitions. It's like the contrast between Mr Potter and George Bailey, or Mr Smith and his corrupt senatorial colleague, or Frodo Baggins and the orcs in the Tower of Cirith Ungol, or - dare I say it - Rick's Lord and the alliance of convenience between Pontius Pilate, Herod Agrippa, and Caiaphas.

In most times, perhaps, the calculation of the conservative punditocracy, based on conventional wisdom and past experience, serves the movement well. But these are not most times, and it may well prove that Ms Charen's reasoning falters on one fundamental component of the American character -- we hate bullying, and that goes as much for the kind carried out by Mitt Romney's super-PAC (and, if one theory is to be credited, a complicit Ron Paul) as the kind carried out by Barry O and the Chicago thugocracy.

Mona, where have you been for the last twelve years? Bush was elected twice and he faced all that you outlined and more. Do you really believe that Obama has successfully transformed our country into a nation with no tolerance for religion and which is easily misled by an increasingly discredited press?

The discussion shouldn't be about why Republican candidate X can't win. It should be about making the case as to why the current occupant of Whitehouse needs to be sent back to private life ASAP.

I agree that Santorum should brush aside irrelvant questions the the mainslime media will hurl at him. Reagan had a folksy way of doing it by saying, "There you go again." I would not suggest Santorum mimic Reagan, but he should make a phrase of his own to deflect the media's evil thrusts. Perhaps simply skipping to the next questioner with a comment like "Please ask questions relative to the Presidency."

Romney would be a disaster. Independents and moderates would vote for the Obummer since there is little choice between Mittens and the Obamanation. It would be deja vue all over again like Doleful-McPain, both so-called moderate losers, aka RINOS.