The Perry Killer...

By DUARDO PAZ-MARTINEZ
The Paz Files

AUSTIN, Texas - He is now known as the candidate who humiliated and took down Country Rick Perry. A political loser himself, Rick Santorum, former congressman and U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania, has been renewed in his longshot bid for the Republican Party's 2012 presidential nomination. It is a sure dramatic rise for a candidate who was thoroughly whipped following the Ames Caucus in Iowa a month ago.

But at the recent GOP candidates debate in Orlando, Florida, Santorum, a lawyer and the 53-year-old son of an Italian immigrant father and an Irish mother, arrived as if a pit bull ordered to maul Perry, the then-darling of the GOP.

Perry has not been the same since that night.

Santorum likely has no real shot at winning the nomination, but he may get credit as the one who took out the brash and blustery Texan who first sought to secede Texas from the United States and then decided to seek its presidency. In pro hockey, they would call Santorum the enforcer, the guy whose skills are lacking, but who is willing to punch-out the other team's villain. He has so far done an excellent job of beating on Perry.

Santorum charged after the stammering Perry on the issue of immigration and on Perry's ridiculous claim that the federal social security program is a "Ponzi" scheme. In machine-gun fashion, he loudly assailed Perry, who uncharacteristically appeared stunned, more like a chump than a champ.

Gary Bauer, one of the GOP's most influential of the Christian conservative leaders, said this about Santorum recently, "He has been impressive in the debates. Eventually one person will emerge as the alternative to Mitt Romney. I think Santorum could easily become that alternative, and many social conservatives would agree."

Still, Santorum was among the Republican debaters who said nothing when the Florida audience booed a Gay soldier shown asking a question via video from his base in Iraq. Santorum later said he got an inkling the booing was wrong, but was caught up in the moment. Bad news. Regret, however, is not something Republicans wear openly.

Santorum has bigger problems, himself.

He still carries the stigma of having been roundly beaten in his 2006 bid for re-election to the U.S. Senate. In that contest, he lost to Democrat Bob Casey, Jr. 59% to 41% - the largest margin of defeat for a senator since 1980. That's an astonishing whipping that came during the Bush Administration's wild rallying of GOP candidates.

So, who knows how much longer Rick Santorum goes in his effort to become the Republican Party's standard bearer against incumbent President Barack Obama.

But the lad should get all the credit he wants for exposing the flaws in Country Rick Perry...

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