Free Republic

Both the family and the Church stand in the way of socialism's triumph, former US Senator Rick Santorum told Christians gathered for the 17th International Week of Prayer and Fasting last week. The pro-life champion warned attendees, however, that both institutions are under heavy attack from Obama-administration policies. "We are under a great assault with this President and this Congress on the issue of life. We are under a great assault, maybe even greater assault, on the foundational issue of the family," Santorum told those gathered for the October 11 dinner at the Omni Shoreham Hotel. Santorum said that the...

I sat next to the Governor and, I must admit, I invited some of his responses through my own questions and observations. ...there was much more to come in the rich content of his intelligent public policy positions. It was the substance of those deeply held positions on the issues which matter most which won the day and only deepened my admiration for the man. He breaks the molds of the empty political labels of “left/right”, “liberal/conservative.” He espouses truly human, just and concerned positions. However, permit me to share just one of his comments. In the context of discussing...

ORALANDO, September 15, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In addition to his announcement that he is considering a run for President in 2012, former US Senator Rick Santorum gave his assessment of the controversy around the Ted Kennedy funeral during his speech to the Catholic Leadership Conference last week. Santorum's talk focused on rejuvenating the Catholic Church in the United States.During his speech Santorum lamented "what the Church allowed to happen" with the Kennedy funeral, referring to it as a "deification" of Kennedy.  "The damage done" to the Church, he said, "is profound.""We have Catholic politicians who have led this country astray, have led...

Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) said he would consider running for president in 2012, citing a changing political environment making President Obama seem more vulnerable. "I think that it's something I would consider," Santorum said during a conference call Tuesday organized by the Republican National Committee (RNC). "But I think that's as far as I'm willing to go three years out."

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...

Here is video of Rick Santorum talking with Greta Van Susteren about Obama attacking Sarah Palin and Death Panels as a "Lie" during his speech to the Joint Session of Congress. Greta actually read from the bill where under "Advanced Care Planning Consultation" there is a mandatory provision where people will have a "review" every five years, and if your health status changes the "review" can be accelerated. (Watch Video)

He says he isn't considering a presidential run in near future --- Former Sen. Rick Santorum said Monday he has no problem being marked as a "dangerous" man politically, despite being out of office since 2006.The most recent attack comes from former Bush and McCain political strategist Mark McKinnon, who said Mr. Santorum's upcoming speaking engagements in Iowa point to a potential 2012 presidential run that would be "very, very dangerous for America." "Mark is [now] a Democrat, and I respect that," said Mr. Santorum, Pennsylvania Republican. "I'm sure the folks on the left see me as dangerous. They've always...

Former Sen. Rick Santorum is making a trip to Iowa that screams “I’m running for President.” In the state with the crucial first presidential primary competition, Santorum will attend a smattering of events on October 1, with a stop at America’s Future Fund PAC and Iowa’s Right to life group. He’ll do a hit on a Des Moines radio show and cap it off with a speech about the future of the GOP in front of a live audience. John Brabender, a longtime advisor to the Senator, was moderate in his characterization of the Senator’s visit. “This is not necessarily...

Add former Sen. Rick Santorum to the list of potential 2012 Republican presidential candidates. POLITICO has learned Santorum will visit first-in-the-nation Iowa this fall for a series of appearances before the sort of conservative activists who dominate the state GOP’s key presidential caucuses. The Pennsylvanian, who lost his 2006 re-election bid, will visit Iowa on October 1st, appearing on a Des Moines radio talk show and speaking to a luncheon and workshop of Iowa’s Right to Life group before heading east to Dubuque, where he’ll headline a fundraiser for the conservative America’s Future Fund PAC and then speak about the...

How appropriate that U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter finds himself at the back of the Democratic Party bus. Did he really expect a hero's welcome and continuance in chairman positions after renouncing his own party at a time of crisis? History shows that nobody trusts or respects a turncoat and a traitor. Arlen should have learned that from the treatment Benedict Arnold received from the British after changing sides in the midst of a fight. Arnold joined with the British but was never accepted or respected by his peers, many officers despised him and his military career was relegated to the...

Former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania told a Republican lawyers group Friday their party should take the filibuster off the table as an option against President Obama's judicial nominations. The word filibuster should not come out of the lips of Republican senators," Santorum told a gathering of the Republican National Lawyers Association in Washington. He said "any idea of a filibuster is folly" given the slim chances of success....

Watching President Obama apologize last week for America's arrogance - before a French audience that owes its freedom to the sacrifices of Americans - helped convince me that he has a deep-seated antipathy toward American values and traditions. His nomination of former Yale Law School Dean Harold Koh to be the State Department's top lawyer constitutes further evidence of his disdain for American values. This seemingly obscure position in Foggy Bottom's bureaucratic maze is one of the most important in any administration, shaping foreign policy in the courts and playing a critical role in international negotiations and treaties. Let's set...

The president is contemptuous of American values. And one key nominee prefers the judgment of other countries and global elites. ---------- Watching President Obama apologize last week for America's arrogance - before a French audience that owes its freedom to the sacrifices of Americans - helped convince me that he has a deep-seated antipathy toward American values and traditions. His nomination of former Yale Law School Dean Harold Koh to be the State Department's top lawyer constitutes further evidence of his disdain for American values. This seemingly obscure position in Foggy Bottom's bureaucratic maze is one of the most important...

Who will Rick Santorum back this time? GrassrootsPA has learned that key Santorum allies are said to be having a conference call this afternoon regarding a possible Toomey Specter primary. The topic at hand is said to be what position, if any, the former US Senator should take. In 2004, Santorum joined President Bush in stumping for Specter...

Washington — Former Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Rick Santorum’s acquisition of political-outsider status since his 2006 loss to Democrat Bob Casey is affording him a lot of bluntness. “We were unethical,” he said of congressional Republicans involved in the scandals involving former lobbyist Jack Abramoff and the securing of earmarks for special projects in their districts. “Let’s just be frank about it.” Speaking at the American Conservative Union’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the Omni Shoreham Hotel Saturday, the copious applause he received bespoke the self-criticism abounding in today’s conservative movement. The GOP’s performance on ethics, before the Democrats won Congress...

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum visited the auditorium of the Nebraska Union on Tuesday to present his idea that Americans do not truly understand why the United States is at war. Santorum is passing through the University of Nebraska-Lincoln as a part of his college campus tour on which he describes to students what he believes are the dangers in not knowing what is going on in the Middle East. “I talk to college students because I can have an intellectual conversation, and they usually don’t agree with me,” Santorum said. “I like to state my case (to students) and...

The United States needs to stay in Iraq and Afghanistan until it has achieved a decisive victory over Islamic jihadists, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum said Monday. “Containing them is not enough,” the two-term conservative Republican senator said during a telephone interview. Santorum, who will be in Lincoln Tuesday for two speaking appearances, said Islamic radicals view the election of President Barack Obama as a signal that the United States is “in the process of surrender.” Obama plans to order a phased withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraq over the next 16 months. Although he is preparing to send...

A desire by both men to secure their places in history might forge an unlikely pairing. BY RICK SANTORUM Obama also faces the reality of needing at least one Republican senator to join him to break filibusters. Many speculate that three moderate Republicans will provide the necessary Senate votes and the imprimatur of bipartisanship. . . . . . But I believe Obama has an ace in the hole among Senate Republicans. This unlikely ace can deliver not only the GOP moderates needed to break a filibuster, but also the stamp of bipartisanship: the 2008 GOP standard bearer, John McCain.....

Allegheny County elections officials today declared Rick Santorum something he already thought he was: a voter in Penn Hills. Elections director Mark Wolosik ruled against a challenge to absentee ballots cast Nov. 4 by Mr. Santorum and his wife, Karen, saying the petitioner, Ed Vecchio, a Penn Hills Democratic committeeman, did not present sufficient evidence that the couple does not reside there. "Wow! My vote counts!" said Mr. Santorum, reached in Northern Virginia, where he and his family have lived since he lost re-election to the Senate in 2006. The Santorums maintained a residential listing at a home they own...

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum has resurfaced as a movie promoter. On Tuesday, Santorum appeared at a breakfast for Pennsylvania delegates and talked up "An American Carol," a new movie that takes aim at filmmaker Michael Moore. "This is a very deliberate attempt to go after the anti-war left," Santorum told the delegates. A brief clip showed people slapping a Moore character.

Barack Obama’s selection of veteran Senator Joe Biden is an attempt to plug a very real problem – Obama’s own lack of experience. Conversely, John McCain has much experience, so a younger person with practical experience is needed. If McCain picks the right person, his VP selection will help to energize the base, win the election, assist McCain to govern effectively; and – we have heard no one include this consideration – develop a solid conservative candidate to head the Republican ticket in 2012 or 2016. There are several individuals who potentially fit the needed VP profile. Here, we will...

Denver, Aug 25, 2008 / 11:51 pm (CNA).- Tim Gill, a billionaire from Colorado who has funded homosexual activism throughout the United States, spoke at the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered (LGBT) Delegates Caucus at the Democratic National Convention on Monday, outlining how he has worked to advance homosexual causes in U.S. politics. Gill endorsed undermining rising politicians critical of homosexual advocacy by targeting donations to benefit their opponents on the state level. Gill, who was introduced at the caucus as one of the nation’s largest funders of LGBT “civil rights initiatives,” reportedly has spent $150 million on LGBT issues....

Gill: “The only way bigots are going to learn is if we take their power away from them" Tim Gill Denver, Aug 25, 2008 / 11:51 pm (CNA).- Tim Gill, a billionaire from Colorado who has funded homosexual activism throughout the United States, spoke at the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered (LGBT) Delegates Caucus at the Democratic National Convention on Monday, outlining how he has worked to advance homosexual causes in U.S. politics. Gill endorsed undermining rising politicians critical of homosexual advocacy by targeting donations to benefit their opponents on the state level.Gill, who was introduced at the caucus...

Let me go out on another limb here and make another crazy prediction. Within 10 years, clergy will be sued or indicted for preaching on certain Bible passages dealing with homosexuality and churches, and church-related organizations will lose government contracts and even their tax-exempt status. The California judges also ruled, for the first time in American legal history, that sexual orientation is just like race. The California court just declared that those of us who see marriage as the union of husband and wife are the legal equivalent of racists. And openly racist groups and individuals can be denied government...

  We all know John McCain is terrible on immigration. For years he held America’s sovereignty and security hostage to amnesty and increased immigration, and his newfound support for “enforcement first” is so insubstantial and transparently insincere that it insults our intelligence. He’s so bad that Americans for Better Immigration ranks his performance in office as the worst of all the presidential candidates — including Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. (See the GOP grid here and the Democratic one here.) And as Robert Rector of the Heritage Foundation has pointed out, passage of McCain’s bill “would represent the largest expansion...

Posted on Mon, Apr. 21, 2008 The Elephant in the Room: Why conservatives should support McCain By Rick Santorum Anyone who knows me knows that I don't shy away from offering my two-cents on the issues of the day, particularly in presidential races. And anyone who has heard me talk about the presidential race over the last few months knows that I've had, shall we say, some serious reservations about John McCain's candidacy. I've disagreed with him on immigration, global warming and federal protection of marriage. I've taken strong exception to his view that the federal government should fund embryonic...

A principled conservative donor contemplating support for Republican All in One,™ the new GOP interactive grassroots software, was volitive for the imprimatur of former Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA). Santorum’s bottom-line response: good grief, what are you waiting for? In an interview, joined by the Philadelphia Bulletin, Santorum responded to our analysis that had interactive software such as Republican All in One™ been available in 2006, Santorum would not have lost by 708,000 votes. Instead he would be reelected by 344,000 votes had, all things being equal, the four traditionally Republican suburban Philadelphia counties maintained a GOP turnout equal to the...

I attended the Council for National Policy meeting last week in New Orleans and listened to John McCain address the who's who of Hillary Rodham Clinton's vast right-wing conspiracy. It was another chance for McCain to, in his words, "not just unite, but reignite the base." How did the crowd think he did? Let's just say it's hard to ignite anything with cold water and no fire. He talked about two legs of the Republican stool - spending/taxes and national security. But the third leg - social issues - went unmentioned. When questioned, he failed to connect with the people...

---snip--- The other candidate, by contrast, is one of the Senate's fiercest partisans. This senator reflexively sides with the party's extreme wing. There's no record of working with the other side of the aisle. None ---snip--- Who would oppose a bill that said you couldn't kill a baby who was born? Not Kennedy, Boxer or Hillary Rodham Clinton. Not even the hard-core National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL). Obama, however, is another story. ---snip-- according to Obama, "they," babies who survive abortions or any other preterm newborns, should be permitted to be killed because giving legal protection to preterm newborns...

You'd think a man who might be on the verge of taking a giant step toward wrapping up the Republican nomination would go out of his way to be gracious. But John McCain couldn't keep his spiteful streak under wraps on this morning's Today. In the course of his interview by Matt Lauer, the Today co-anchor cited critical comments about McCain by former and current Senate colleagues Rick Santorum and Thad Cochran. McCain retaliated with a personal swipe at their reputations and later declined to describe Mitt Romney as a fine man. View video here.

With Tuesday's presidential primary on the horizon, Missouri once again finds itself basking in the political sun. Sunday's St. Louis visits by Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton and Republican Mitt Romney. . . . < snip> ROMNEY VISIT Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, declared here Sunday that he's "battling coast to coast" for his party's nomination and "the soul of the Republican Party." Romney addressed dozens of supporters packing two rooms at the Dave & Buster's restaurant in Maryland Heights. He was joined by Gov. Matt Blunt, Missouri House Speaker Rod Jetton and former Sens. Jim Talent of Missouri and...

If the general public associates a face with the word “conservative,” it could very well be that of former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum. He’s been a vocal opponent of his former colleague John McCain during this primary season, but he had hesitated to go one step further. That changed Friday, when he endorsed Mitt Romney during an appearance on Laura Ingraham’s radio show. In a subsequent interview with National Review Online, he explained his decision. “Campaigns can change who you are, particularly politically. Just thinking and living and breathing why I want to be president and what I stand for...

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- Mitt Romney's campaign is blasting out automated phone calls that feature a recording of former Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania raising questions about John McCain's "temperament" -- a hot-button issue that Romney himself has assiduously avoided. Santorum said in an interview today that he wrote the script himself, and the campaign deferred to him and approved it.

addiction [to oil] has taken a toll on our economy while funding major sponsors of the jihadis and other terrorists that seek to harm us... we [should] dig our way out of this problem. The United States is the "Saudi Arabia of coal," and Pennsylvania is sitting on hundreds of years of this affordable and accessible resource, which, with innovative technologies - spearheaded by Pennsylvanians - we can use cleanly and right away. Pennsylvania coal already generates most of the electricity in this state. The industry is in the process of doing it more cleanly through clean-coal technologies, such as...

Santorum throws his support behind Romney Salena Zito ST. LOUIS -- Former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., threw his support this morning to Mitt Romney for president. Santorum’s endorsement was sought by all of the Republican candidates in the past year. "In a few short days, Republicans from across this country will decide more than their party's nominee,” Santorum says in a statement released by the Romney campaign. “They will decide the very future of our party and the conservative coalition that Ronald Reagan built. Conservatives can no longer afford to stand on the sidelines in this election, and Gov....

Rick Santorum just endorsed Mitt Romney on the Laura Ingraham Show. I will post the transcript as soon as possible.

FRIDAY'S GUESTS: Byron York of National Review (Fridays With Byron). Sen. Rick Santorum of the Ethics and Public Policy Center. Rick Santorum Senior Fellow Rick Santorum, a Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, established and directs EPPC's Program to Protect America's Freedom. He is writing a book on the "gathering storm" of the 21st century -- the challenges posed by radical Islamic fascism and its growing alliances around the world. Mr. Santorum served as United States Senator from Pennsylvania from 1995 to 2007 and as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1991 to 1995....

The former senator has been on a tear against McCain for weeks. Many conservatives admire Santorum and will take his views on the presidential race into account. But McCain's positions on immigration, global warming, and the re-importation of prescription drugs are already widely known. What isn't widely known is how McCain operates in the cloakroom. Santorum gave us a hint on the Hugh Hewitt show a while ago: I mean, this is a guy who says he believes in these things, but I can tell you, inside the room, when we were in these meetings, there was nobody who fought...

HH: I am joined now, though, by America’s favorite conservative in exile. It’s Rick Santorum. Senator, always a pleasure to talk to you. RS: Thank you, Hugh. It’s great to be with you again. HH: Now you know, I think pretty much everyone on our side of the aisle believes you know the media just about better than anyone, and you know how they can manipulate a race. They’re trying to force Mitt Romney out. Should the Governor go? RS: No, absolutely not. I think this race is wide open. I think Mitt Romney still has a very good chance...

Former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum, R-Pa., spoke last night at the University about confronting what he described as the threat of radical Islam and fighting "the war against Islamic fascism." The program, aimed at raising awareness, also sparked controversy among University student groups who criticized Santorum's stance. Santorum began his speech by addressing what he considers the two greatest obstacles the United States now faces in foreign policy: first, the dwindling support of the American people in sustaining the war on Islamic fundamentalism and second, the failure of the Muslim world to confront fundamentalism. According to Santorum, the lack of...

Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2007 'Islamo-Fascism' brings in Santorum Former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, a Penn State alumnus, is scheduled to make a controversial appearance tonight on the University Park campus. Santorum Invited by prominent conservative writer and organizer David Horowitz, Santorum will speak in Osmond Laboratory as part of Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week. The Los Angeles-based Horowitz Freedom Center has assembled the theme week, which Horowitz said will reach 109 campuses nationwide. He said all are holding events to focus attention on fascism in the Muslim world, including the repression of women. He wants people to start discussing the debated term...

Regime Change, Peacefully We must continue to support the Iranian people. October 24, 2007 National Review Online Rick Santorum An effort is underway in Washington to cut the funding for the pro-democracy movement inside Iran authorized last Congress by the Iran Freedom Support Act (IFSA). IFSA authorizes the president to provide financial and political assistance to foreign and domestic individuals, organizations, and entities working for the purpose of supporting and promoting democracy for Iran. In order to receive financial backing, these individuals and groups must support four basic pillars of democracy — freedom of the press, freedom of speech, freedom...

Horowitz plans week-long war against rise of radical Islam By David M. Brown TRIBUNE-REVIEW Sunday, October 21, 2007 David Horowitz minces no words to evoke a stark image. Asked what threat radical Islamic terrorism poses to the United States, the conservative writer and activist sums up his view: "One dirty nuclear bomb can ruin your day."

The following is a summary of a recent national survey conducted by Public Opinion Strategies for the Program to Protect America's Freedom at the Ethics and Public Policy Center (August 19-20, 800 registered voters).  ObservationsVoters are much more aware of the threats posed by radical Islam than anticipated.  Indeed, a plurality of Americans believes the threat from Islamic fundamentalism is greater than either Soviet Communism in the 1960s or Nazism in the 1930s.  However, the public is less aware of the strategic partnerships being developed between radical Islamic regimes and other countries, especially Venezuela. Two-thirds of Americans agree that this...

GLENN: I want to bring in Rick Santorum and talk to him briefly about a speech that was given by Ahmadimejad yesterday. Did you see this speech or see clips of it yesterday, clip? [SNIP] SENATOR SANTORUM: Yeah. He's listening to the Democratic politicians who are saying we're going to get out of Iraq, hearing Republicans who are running for the hills saying it's time to get out of Iraq and Ahmadimejad says, great, we're ready. We're now, we're in position, we've accomplished our mission by providing the EFPs and providing the money and providing all the support that we...

Warning: This article contains objectionable material that is being taught to school children. A recent government study found that leading “comprehensive” sex education curricula intended to reduce teen sex, pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases contain sexually explicit material and factual errors. The study was conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the request of Senator Tom Coburn (R-Oklahoma) and former Senator Rick Santorum (R-Pennsylvania). The request came after the “Waxman Report,” written in 2004 by the staff of Rep. Henry Waxman (D-California), claimed abstinence curricula are deficient. That report was criticized...

"Why? Because we'll need more government and more spending to address the many and diverse problems that fragmented or absent-father families disproportionately create."

In September 1996, I stood on the floor of the United States Senate to respond to Sen. Barbara Boxer's comment that I was ignoring the "cries" of the women who came to Washington to lobby for the sustaining of President Clinton's veto of the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act. My response? We would be deafened by the cries of the babies that are not here today, because of this procedure. I then addressed the comments by another senator likening the partial-birth procedure to an appendectomy. I pointed to the diagram depicting this gruesome procedure, in which a 5-month-old fetus is...

In September 1996, I stood on the floor of the United States Senate to respond to Sen. Barbara Boxer's comment that I was ignoring the "cries" of the women who came to Washington to lobby for the sustaining of President Clinton's veto of the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act. My response? We would be deafened by the cries of the babies that are not here today, because of this procedure. I then addressed the comments by another senator likening the partial-birth procedure to an appendectomy. I pointed to the diagram depicting this gruesome procedure, in which a 5-month-old fetus is...

There is a political lesson behind today's Supreme Ct decision on partial birth abortion that some of you who now oppose Rudy Giuliani need to think about. Back in 2004, Pat Toomey challenged Arlen Specter in PA for the nomination to the U.S. Senate. Both Rick Santorum and George Bush backed Santorum. They did so for three reasons. First, they believed Toomey had little chance to win in the general election whereas it was virtually certain Specter would win if nominated. Second, the Senate was too evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans to risk losing even one seat--which would mean...