Colin McNickle on Rick Santorum's Election Chances

So overcome with paralysing self-doubt that I indeed AM a biased liberal, I decided to devote one whole blog entry to a column from a Trib columnist - Colin McNickle. Say what you will about the man, he's hardly a lefty.

Here's what he wrote today about our junior Senator, Rick Santorum.

Fifteen months ago, this political goggler predicted Santorum would lose to Casey. That prediction stands. Not because Casey is any alternative -- he'll be eaten alive in Washington, conscripted by the Teddy Kennedy wing of the Democratic Party to do its bidding -- but because Santorum has become, as was written at the time, "an unprincipled pandering opportunist."

Wow. I am so glad that McNickle had the cajones to write that. Now I guess I can write the exact same thing WITHOUT being accused of letting my politics sway my judgement.

Rick Santorum's an "unprincipled pandering opportunist" who will probably lose in November.

The numbers are horrid, according to McNickle.

The latest Quinnipiac University Poll has Democrat Bobby Casey re-stretching his lead over Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum to 18 percentage points, 52-34 percent, six points outside the 12 percent who remain undecided. The 52-34 ratio is the same as last October.

And

But the real story of this poll is that nearly half of Mr. Casey's support -- 44 percent -- isn't for Casey at all but against Santorum.

And

And if these numbers are genuinely representative of the electorate, OUCH, for even 35 percent of Republicans don't think much of Santorum. [emphasis added]

That's about a third, by the way. And then there's

It's pretty difficult to argue that you've served your state well when darn near half your opponent's "support" really is just those who think you're a dolt.

Dolt - that's funny.

He does point to some evidence that, as he says, "Santorum has not helped his cause as of late."

Santorum may have been technically correct last week about the discovery of some weapons of mass destruction. But his involvement in publicizing previously classified information came with all the sincerity of a pol in trouble -- a hastily called news conference to trumpet what, in effect, was old and not all that significant news of WMD that, according to one official, were pre-Gulf War I and perhaps not even in useable condition.

That said, had this truly been stop-the-presses news, it would have been President George W. Bush -- not the struggling No. 3 guy in the Senate -- pushing the button and making over the page to announce the "findings." What's next for Santorum, finding a cache of old liquor in some basement and declaring himself to be tough on "rum runners"? [emphasis added]

Wait - it looks like McNickle is NOT CONVINCED that Ricky's WMD were, in fact, dangerous.

Huh. Go figure.

And McNickle makes the argument we've been pointing out for a long time. If [insert debunked reason for going to war here] is actually true (and not false as the Bush-haters insist on asserting), then why isn't the administration pounding that point home at every opportunity?

Something else to ponder, I guess.

Colin McNickle thinks Santorum's a loser this November.

Good boy, Colin.

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