The extreme Rick Santorum

By Eugene Robinson,
WashPost
Friday, January 6, 6:41 PM

Before there was the Tea Party to define the phrase “far-right fringe,” there was Rick Santorum. He’s a nice-guy zealot who should never be allowed anywhere near the Oval Office.

It’s understandable that progressives would be tempted to cheer Santorum’s sudden rise as a viable candidate for the Republican nomination. The likely nominee, Mitt Romney, would love to be able to moderate his rhetoric and begin running a more centrist campaign that could appeal to independents in November. But if Santorum continues to pose a threat, Romney will likely have to move even further right — ceding valuable political ground to President Obama.

And if Santorum somehow manages to win the nomination, he will be easier for Obama to beat than Romney. I mean, Obama beats him easily. Doesn’t he?

But I know there’s no such thing as an airtight guarantee, and that’s why those welcoming the Santorum surge for Machiavellian reasons should be careful what they wish for.

I mentioned that he’s a nice guy. Unlike Romney, Santorum is perfectly at ease chit-chatting with strangers. He makes eye contact, engages the person he’s talking to and gives the impression that he’s speaking from the heart, not from a position paper. He seems genuine.

(More here.)