Posted on 09/13/2009 2:33:46 PM PDT by NYer
ORLANDO, FL, September 12, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Speaking to a room full of prominent US Catholic leaders Friday night, Senator Rick Santorum was challenged to run for the Republican Presidential nominaion. Responding to a room already thick with applause, Santorum revealed that he was indeed "thinking about it" but asked for prayers and detailed his thinking on the matter.
His remarks came after his address to the closing dinner of the 12th annual Catholic Leadership Conference - an invite-only gathering of Catholic leaders from academia, law, media, medicine, and politics, as well as leaders of movements within the Church such as pro-life, pro-family and evangelization. Posing the challenge was long-time legal, political, and media activist Keith Fournier.
Santorum is not only a Catholic in name but a faithful one who is noted for his strong pro-life activism and work to bring decency back to America. He revealed that he has seven children, with one in college. The reason why the sixth is not college-bound is the fact that his 16-month-old 'Bella' was born with Trisomy 18, a genetic disorder which is fatal before birth in 90 per cent of cases.
Santorum referred to Bella as "our angel" marveling at how she changed his life, and that of his family for the better. Speaking of children like Bella, he said, "They teach you things you can't even imagine."
Here Santorum turned to abortion describing his reason for fighting against it politically saying, "I think of we treat these people in society and how we destroy them. 86% of Down syndrome children are aborted - killed. And Down syndrome is 5 times better than what Bella has."
Considering how his children may themselves be the targets of nasty politics, as has happened in the recent past, gives Santorum pause. "That weighs on me," he said. "When you stand up for the things I do and say the things I say, they brutalize you and they won't stop at you."
Those are the things, he explained that "as a father I've got to think about."
"On the other side," he added, "as a father, I've got to think about whether they are going to have a country to live in … Are they going to be able to practice their faith in a way that's consistent with what the Church teaches."
The last consideration in favor of his run was on the practical level. He said: "Six months ago I would not have spent ten seconds on your question, but it's not six months ago. I see that, I hate to be calculating, but I see that 2012 is not just throwing somebody out to be eaten, but it's a real opportunity for success."
In closing he said that while he was "thinking about it", it is the first time his ambition which is, as he said, "in his DNA" was checked by a resistance saying, "no, I'm not sure."
Ending the session, Catholic political powerhouse Deal Hudson (President George W. Bush's Catholic advisor for a period of time) cited Plato's famous saying that the best governors are those who do not wish to govern.
Now that would be an awesome ticket! Liberal heads would explode!!
This is one to watch.
I’m going with Sarah and whoever she picks for VP running mate.
I think Santorum should go for the Governorship.
I want to see whole departments eliminated! Energy and Education to name tow.
Gonna take a lot more than prayers, Rick. No thanks.
Rick is a good man, but he (and other Republicans) suffered under the weight of Bush’s disastrous management of the Iraq war, when in 2006 he lost his PA incumbent Senate seat by 59% to 41% to RAT Bob Casey (who we’ve never heard from since then). Sarah will far out-draw Rick at any event, even in his own PA.
Rick Santorum lost reelection in his home state. Next.
It doesn’t matter if he “measures up” to the people you mentioned, because none of them measure up, either.
Sarah Palin already lost to 0bama, Fred Thompson can’t even get a campaign rolling, and Mike Pence is not high profile enough yet.
Mike Pence’s destiny, at least for now, is as Speaker of the House.
Right now he is the conservative leader of the House, but he is not the Republican leader. That can only send one message: House Republicans are not conservative.
What we should be concentrating on right now is giving them the message that this is unacceptable. The only way the GOP is going to change its image in the public eye back to that of a conservative party is if they get new, conservative leadership. And that means Mike Pence as House Republican Leader.
A good man, but without executive experience in government a long shot, and also probably more controversial in his quote trail than Palin would be.
Executive experience counts no doubt but over the years Senators have been elected to the Presidency.
16 presidents were senators at one time. They were: James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, Benjamin Harrison, Warren G. Harding, Harry S. Truman, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard M. Nixon and Barack Obama.
Rick should really have considered going after his Senate seat again this year. We sure need someone like Rick in the Senate.
“Sarah Palin already lost to 0bama”
Oh, really? Haven’t you read her latest Facebook notes? She’s been CREAMING him, BIG TIME! She has single-handedly nearly destroyed the health care bill!
When she posts a Facebook note, the entire MSM notices and then goes all over it!
Now, tell me that she can’t win the Presidency! She has the support of MILLIONS and the GOP leadership is being extremely STUPID for ignoring her.
Don’t believe the lies that are foaming out of the MSM/RINOs/GOP’s mouths; YES, SHE CAN AND YES, SHE WILL!!!!!!!
I think Rick Santorum is a good man, but I can’t see him as a leader in the conservative movement. His support of Specter in the PA senate primary in 2004 was the turning point for a lot of conservatives. He could have made no endorsement in the primary, but instead he chose to endorse Specter. Two years later, he lost his own senate seat in part because PA conservatives refused to support him after the Specter primary.
I believe that last election was run by (and called) the "McCain" Campaign, if I wasn't mistaken.
My money is still on a Palin/Liz Cheney ticket.
He was, unfortunately, blown away by Bob Casey in his last senate race — not a good sign.
Prayers up. Palin-Santorum anyone?
Yes, but it’s rare and a number of those Presidents you list had other experience. Nixon, for example, had been vice president. Andrew Johnson and were LBJ elevated from the vice presidency after assassinations. JQ Adams had been Secretary of State. Andrew Jackson had been a military governor and commander and Benjamin Harrison and Franklin Pierce had been generals. James Monroe had been a governor, cabinet secretary and dipomat. Etc.
“Palin-Santorum anyone?”
I really don’t think that would be a good idea. Santorum may be a good guy, but he just doesn’t have the “fire” (aka guns to take on the liberals) like Sarah Palin does.
She needs a running mate who is like her and who has the ability to draw enthusiastic crowds and stands up for what is right! That person is Michele Bachmann!
PALIN-BACHMANN, 2012!!!!!
I’d take Santorum over Palin.Me too...big time. She still has a long way to go before she is ready for the White House; Santorum has a ways to go, but not nearly as far as Sarah.
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