Rick Santorum: The ‘Church’ Candidate

Howard Fineman
Huffington Post

Bathed in the candlelight of a Romanesque Texas church and framed at the altar by golden stained glass, Rick Santorum told a group of Dallas-area pastors Wednesday that he saw no boundary between faith and public life and that he “could not and would not leave my faith at the door” as he sought the presidency.

Then, as if in thanks, the pastors in the Bella Donna Adriatica Chapel in McKinney, Texas, gathered around Santorum in the church’s central aisle for a laying-on of hands. “Get a hand on Rick, or get a hand on someone who has a hand on Rick,” said the host.

Surrounding him like a pious rugby scrum, they prayed that God would direct the former Pennsylvania senator’s steps as he seeks the Republican nomination.

Santorum is the all-but-official GOP “church” candidate at a time when church-state issues are raging. While he has been largely relegated to the background since a surprisingly strong showing in Iowa, Santorum’s three-state victory Tuesday night made it clear the Republican base hasn’t forgotten that.

To be sure, Santorum isn’t merely a religious candidate, praying on the altar of public life. Yesterday he won every county in Missouri, not just ones with evangelicals and conservative Catholics in them. He also won in Minnesota and Colorado, administering what a Santorum aide rightly called “a good ol’ fashioned country horse whippin'” to Mitt Romney.
Read the rest here