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He also has cred as a front man for the Establishment.

You are right, but he still has cred with pro-lifers despite that, just as Brownback has the same cred despite supporting Sebelius for HHS, which in a number of ways was even worse.

Some time ago I decided not to make endorsements a litmus test for candidates being acceptable. There are too many circumstances where otherwise good people endorse bad candidates. Besides Brownback/Sebelius, Santorum/Specter, there is Palin/McCain (2010 race, of course), and Gingrisch/Scozzofava. Very few, and almost none with any staying power, fail to make one of those once in a while.

No one is going to confuse Santorum with Cruz on style points, but he has stuck with some important principles despite the GOP establishment.