Santorum Suspends His Run

            The improbable roller coaster ride that was the Santorum Campaign has finally called it quits. The often despicable but occasionally eloquent Santorum was the last real obstacle between Mitt Romney and the GOP nomination. And while we are undoubtedly getting rid of what would have been the worst presidential nominee in American history, we are losing something even greater than that: the last really honest person running for President of the United States.

            The former senator from Pennsylvania is a religious nutcase and financial hypocrite. He was so despised for his comments about homosexuality that his name became synonymous with the frothy byproduct of anal sex. He had no idea how to run a country or even a presidential campaign. He said whatever came into his mind, but never once doubted he was right. That’s what made Santorum so likeable. He honestly believed everything he was saying and that he was working for a greater good.

            Unlike other religious fanatics, Santorum never claimed that God intended him to be president. He was just an overly religious guy who happened to be running for president; one was not the product of the other, it was merely coincidence. And unlike fellow GOP hopefuls Romney and Gingrich, he was not the kind of “Washington insider” they despised, simply because he didn’t understand how Washington really worked. Sure he was a senator, but that’s a far cry from president.

            The unlikely dark horse candidate in this race, Santorum effectively seals the deal for Romney now. As goes Santorum, so goes the GOP. Romney will likely promise him some position in his cabinet if he endorses him (and suggests all his delegates follow Romney too).

It was a bitter end for the sweater-vested whirlwind that came out of nowhere. Unlike any other candidate running now, he always spoke from the heart and meant every word he said. He didn’t pander and he didn’t flip-flop. Sure, he was an asshole, but he was a painfully honest one. Who knows why he quit. Maybe hoping Romney will give him a cabinet spot. Maybe so he won’t be remembered as the guy who forced a brokered convention. Or maybe he just got tired of the monotony of the rat race.

But something tells me we haven’t seen the last of Rick Santorum.