Rick Santorum never had a chance. The Republican leadership and many Republican primary voters are borderline delusional, but they don’t have a death wish.
That’s not to say I wasn’t glued to the television when Mr. Santorum announced on Tuesday that he was dropping out of the race — or rather, “suspending” his campaign, which means he can go on spending his donors’ money. As I watched him wander off into the vast wasteland of presidential also-rans, I asked myself what, exactly, the man formerly best known for comparing gay sex to man-on-dog sex had accomplished.
Mr. Santorum showed that he could appeal to the far right, and the way far right, and the way, way far right, and that he could use that base to make things really hard for Mitt Romney. And he illuminated the dark heart of the G.O.P., the part that thrives on fear and xenophobia and intolerance. Mr. Santorum said on Tuesday that this was “as improbable as any race you’ll ever see for president.” Seems about right to me.
He also proved that he has a remarkable ability to spout absurdities — some of which, arguably, rival the aforementioned man-on-dog comment. So I decided to honor Mr. Santorum with a fond retrospective of his lowest moments.
Throwing up: I’ve got to start with Mr. Santorum saying that John F. Kennedy’s seminal speech on the separation of church and state made him “almost throw up.” Mr. Santorum completely misrepresented Mr. Kennedy’s speech; he claimed that the slain president had opposed talking about religion “in the public square.” What he actually said was that he would not be bossed around by the pope or the Roman Catholic Church.
Natural instincts: The candidate said women should not serve in combat because men’s “natural instinct” to protect women might prove too distracting.
Trashing higher education: He called President Obama “a snob” for urging students to attend college. Emphasizing higher education, he said on ABC’s “This Week,” “devalues the tremendous work that people who, frankly, don’t go to college and don’t want to go to college because they have a lot of other talents and skills that, frankly, college — you know, four-year colleges may not be able to assist them.”
Questioning the president’s faith: Mr. Santorum rarely missed an opportunity to play to those who doubt Mr. Obama’s Christian faith. “I believe the president is a Christian,” Mr. Santorum said once on “Face the Nation,” before adding, “He says he’s a Christian.” In January, at a campaign event in Florida, a woman said that the president “is an avowed Muslim and my question is, why isn’t something being done to get him out of our government?” Mr. Santorum was not going to let that pass. He looked the woman in the eye and declared: “Believe me — I’m doing everything I can to get him out of the government.” He later explained that he’s under no obligation to correct supporters.
No right to choose, no matter what: In January, Piers Morgan asked Mr. Santorum what he would do if one of his daughters had been raped, was pregnant and was “begging you to let her have an abortion.” His response: “I would do what every father would do – try to counsel your daughter to do the right thing.” But he didn’t stop there: “I believe and I think that the right approach is to accept this horribly created, in the sense of rape, but nevertheless, in a very broken way, a gift of human life and accept what God is giving to you.” He said his daughter ought “to make the best out of a bad situation.”
This list is far from comprehensive. Share your favorite Santorum moments in the comments.
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