Sarah Palin was one of the big winners yesterday, in Iowa. Here is why:


" . . . . . . Santorum broke the mold. He ran a bold ad quoting accolades tossed in his direction by Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee, and Rush Limbaugh. That willingness to name names sent a powerful signal, electrifying the fence that most Iowa Republicans had been sitting on. There are an awful lot of conservative voters who have been waiting a long time to hear their heroes acknowledged. In my estimation, that single advertising spot put Santorum over the top in Iowa.

Can Santorum actually win the primaries pursuing this strategy? Well, the first bit of good news came along right away. The word is out that John McCain is about to announce his backing for Romney. This is a contest I will relish watching: Romney ads citing McCain versus Santorum ads citing Limbaugh. Stay tuned."  From the American Spectator and Jay Homnick. 

Understand that none of the conservative pundits mentioned,  in the Spectator article,  endorsed Santorum.  Rather,  his use of their names was a campaign strategy and a risky one at that . . . . . . . . .  and it helped.  

For my money,  having Santorum for a presidential candidate is like running around town with a friend who wears nothing but brown suits and suede shoes. His rhetoric is less than inspiring and that is a problem.  Beating Obama is not as simple as ranting about his failed promises and social policies.  A little "fire in the belly" would help the GOP candidate.