Politics: The Last, Best Hope for Conservatives

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Politics The Last, Best Hope for Conservatives Gingrich says that's him. Then why is Santorum riding high? By John Dickerson Posted Friday, Feb 10, 2012, at 12:36 AM ET At CPAC in 2011, Newt Gingrich took the stage to the stirring sound of Survivor's 1980's rock anthem "Eye of the Tiger." He walked deliberately through the crowd. Here was Caesar returning from the wars. Tomorrow Gingrich will speak again at the same gathering, but the conservative who most deserves the dramatic, fist-pumping greeting is his presidential rival Rick Santorum: the lonely warrior who has triumphed without playing a soundtrack of self-regard, without the ready millions of Gingrich's gambling-magnate patron, and despite more derision from the elite media than Gingrich has faced.  Has Rick Santorum eclipsed Newt Gingrich as the conservative alternative to Mitt Romney? Santorum didn't just pull off a hat trick in Colorado, Minnesota, and Missouri, he trounced Newt Gingrich, besting him by more than 20 points in each state. Those victories appear to have been the start of a conservative rallying toward a single candidate. If that's so, Gingrich should take the advice he was just a week ago offering Santorum: Get out of the race now to ensure that there is a single conservative alternative to Mitt Romney.  Rick Santorum's success Tuesday was an embarrassment to Mitt Romney, but the good news for Romney is that it set up a dynamic that benefits him. Gingrich and Santorum will continue to split the anti-Romney vote, giving the front-runner an even better chance to win future contests. But if there were ever a sole alternative to Romney, that person would pose a ... To continue reading, click here. Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES Also In Slate Obama Just Pulled a Fast One on Republicans With His Contraception Compromise Is One of the Most Influential Pastors in the U.S. Too Involved in His Flock's Sex Lives? Lithwick: Prop 8 Ruling Shows Gay Marriage Opponents Have No Legal or Empirical Case	Advertisement
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