The Atlantic Home

Good lord, it can't be. Rick Santorum, the former Republican senator from Pennsylvania, is making so secret of his presidential ambitions. I suppose if Robert Dornan and Alan Keyes can run for president, why not a prickly conservative who soundly lost reelection in 2006? Santorum may be best known for his AP interview in which he likened homosexuality to man-on-dog sex. It's hard to see why social conservatives would rally around Santorum more than, say, Palin or Pawlenty. But every senator looks in the mirror and sees the next president, so there's no reason it shouldn't apply to ex-senators, too. My favorite Santorum anecdote actually comes from Bob Kerrey. After Santorum denounced Sen. Mark Hatfield, the Oregon Republican, for his opposition to the balanced budget amendment to the Constitution, the Nebraska Democrat was asked what he thought. "Santorum, that's Latin for a--hole."