Rick Santorum Endorses McCain
Former Senator Santorum was a hero to conservatives in nearly every wing of the movement during his time in the Senate. His record could rarely be questioned for the quality of judgment he exhibited for the people of PA, and his leadership is surely missed in the Senate.
He and Senator McCain butted heads from time to time on things like earmarks while they served together, but Santorum also recognizes the importance of the issues facing America with the War on Terror, the economy, and the battle for a culture of life.
In the Philadelphia Inquirer he offers his well-reasoned and emphatic endorsement for Senator McCain for president. He encourages all Americans and conservatives in particular to strongly support Sen. McCain and cites many reason for his decision, so of which I have listed below:
National Security:
McCain is clearly the candidate with the capacity, judgment, experience and will to confront America’s enemies. He’s served our country honorably - heroically - in war. I served eight years with him on the Senate Armed Services Committee, and I can assure you he knows our military. Importantly, he also knows our enemies. He understands their capabilities and their aims. He will not sugarcoat the human or financial commitment and cost needed to defeat this enemy.
Culture of Life
The most important social issue is life. […] he always voted for life and stood for the culture of life. In short, he’s been a reliable vote on life issues, which are critical to conservatives.
Gang of 14/Judges
Many conservatives have given McCain poor marks for his involvement in the Gang of 14. I was in leadership pushing hard for a showdown with the Democrats on using the “Constitutional Option” to end their filibuster of judicial nominations. The Gang of 14 broke the impasse, and it probably was for the best. I was the one counting votes on that issue, and I was much less certain of success than others. In the end, the Gang deal resulted in numerous confirmations of qualified conservative jurists.
…On judges, McCain has repeatedly made clear that he will, as his Web site states, “only nominate judges who understand that their role is to faithfully apply the law as written, not impose their opinions through judicial fiat.” Sounds good to me.
And on and on…
I’d also like to mention here that Senator Santorum is a CR Alumnus as well - he was the State Chairman from Pennsylvania back in the day.