Santorum Surges While Gingrich Complains of “Romney-Boating”

The lead article in today’s New York Times, “In Iowa, Romney Fights to Become Caucus Favorite,” shows the fickleness of the state’s voters as they desperately search for an alternative, any alternative, to Mitt Romney.

The latest development, the surging of the Santorum campaign, represents the last possible option for conservatives; all the other conservative candidates have had their time in the sun: Michelle Bachmann after the Ames straw poll, Herman Cain until the accusations of sexual infidelity, and Rick Perry until the oops debating moment.

I must admit that if I were a conservative (I have some measure of sanity so I’m not), Santorum would be my pick. He’s the only one who doesn’t have any fatal flaw. Michelle Bachmann seems to have a problem with historical facts; Newt Gingrich has baggage too numerous to list; Rick Perry is clearly not ready for prime time.

So, it’s finally Santorum’s 15 minutes of fame, and it’s coming at just the right time. He currently doesn’t have the financial resources to run a national campaign, not yet. A win or strong showing in Iowa would change all that. And what Romney really has to fear is that he will emerge as the sole alternative against him. Since Romney can’t seem to break 25 percent in the polls, a single, determined, conservative opponent would be his worst nightmare.