Yeah, I liked Santorum as well. Wasn't he like the 2nd most powerful person in the Senate?
I saw him on TV the other day, though, and he said he doesn't have any plans to run for president.
Santorum was one of the best members of the Senate, bar none. He was in the leadership because he was head of the Senate Republican Conference, which is the communications branch for Republicans in the Senate.
I have never seen a man work harder on an issue that was near and dear to my heart -- judicial nominations -- and get so little credit (or care about the credit) for it. It was awesome to see him post 3 PM or so...you could pretty much bet there would be at least a couple of Santorum kids around the office or he'd leave the office with a kid on his hip to watch a soccer game for an older one, etc.
He also went to Mass every morning. (I am not a Catholic, but as a Christian, I was impressed with his spiritual devotion as well.)
Head and shoulders above most elected officials. A true loss to the Senate.