You’re correct that Santorum tried to veer to the centre, which was a mistake. His opponent played the charade of being pro-life, which removed the key distinction that Santorum had against his opponents in his first two victories. He also suffered from his support for Specter and the general backlash against Bush. It was a perfect storm that brought Santorum down, some of which was his own doing, but I don’t think there was anyone who could have held that seat in those circumstances.
Totally correct, but keep in mind - I was not slamming Santorum because he lost. I slam Santorum for his outright lies about how he ran the 2006 campaign versus the reality of how he ran the 2006 campaign. He claims the mantle of conservative purity and claims he is the one who always stands up for principle regardless of the consequences. It's bullsh-t - because he ran a very wimpy moderate lefty campaign on 06. Its not the reality of 06 I hold against Santorum, it's the lying sanctimony of 2011-12.