This will not be a long article. The truth relies little on length. When truth rings out, brevity is its ally.
He is young, idealistic and passionate about what this country means to itself and to the world. He understands the Founders and their purpose in determining this Republic. He is resolute in his belief that Socialism and Fascism have invaded this country and will prohibit its citizens from realizing their dreams just as much as he's convinced that dependency upon Government handouts will prevent those dreams. He's Catholic, firm in his faith and not ashamed to utter the divine name, God. He's married and devoted to his wife and children. He has a special-needs child who has, like many of us who have the same blessing, caused him to believe not that God chooses us for suffering, but that He delights in our ability to cling to the Divine Presence when life's challenges present themselves to us. He is all things President Kennedy was... Except that he lacks a desire for infidelity and refuses to compromise his morality just because the perks this country has given him would allow him to do so.
He may not be the next president of the United States, but as I watched the dichotomy of candidate's personalities as they uttered their speeches tonight at the Iowa Republican Caucuses I couldn't help but sense that Rick Santorum's heart was in it and Mitt Romney's was back in the boardroom. Tonight, we witnessed the "great hope" that the Republican party has been searching for, longing for and depending upon to secure a two-term tenure in the White House and a fighting chance to help gain a majority in both houses of Congress.
This is only the beginning of a long process. Since Mitt Romney had this similar beginning four years ago and lost, it will be interesting to compare that beginning to the one Rick Santorum experienced tonight. Even more, it will be interesting to see, during the remainder of this electoral process if the Republican Party has begun to realize that it can't give the "next old man in line" a shot at the nomination. The Grand Old Party must learn from (and improve upon) the lessons of the past election and look back upon 2008 and reflect upon how we can change course when our country was sent upon a Socialist expedition whose failures we learned in the 1940's.
President Santorum? Maybe... And I like the thought of it.
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