Conservative Rick Santorum to Continue 2012 Presidential Bid

Former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania took fourth place in the Iowa straw poll in Ames on Saturday and he is delighted with his showing despite placing behind U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas and former Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota.

"I am incredibly grateful for the overwhelming support our campaign received today," said Santorum. "The press and pundits had written us off and chose to ignore our message. But voters rallied around our message, that America will be great again if we elect a president who has the record of results through proven leadership. Today, the people of Iowa sent shock waves through the political establishment ... our success, though, does not end here in Ames today, but moves forward to the caucuses and beyond.

Back in 1999, conservative activist Gary Bauer took fourth in the straw poll, ahead of much better known candidates like Dan Quayle, Pat Buchanan and Lamar Alexander, and he was able to garner enough momentum out of it to make it to both the Iowa caucus and the New Hampshire primary. Bauer put together a string of impressive debate performances and went after George W. Bush, demanding the front-runner commit to putting a pro-lifer on the ticket as vice president.

Santorum could have much the same opportunity. On Thursday, Santorum showed no hesitation in taking on Paul on foreign policy and he has already thrown a few jabs at Paul and Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who announced his bid on Saturday, for leaving social issues -- namely, marriage -- up to the states.

Like Bauer, Santorum has backed American intervention in the Middle East, including issuing warnings about Iran, while defending traditional social positions at home. While there are some differences on theology and beliefs, of course (Bauer is an evangelical while Santorum is a Catholic), they are both avid defenders of the role of religion in the public square. Santorum should be able to use his showing in the Iowa straw poll much like Bauer did 12 years ago -- and Romney, Perry and Paul should expect heavy fire from the former senator in future debates.