Ambassador Santorum?
Rick Santorum for U.S. representative to the U.N.? It isn’t just National Review Online that’s floating the possibility.
To his fans, the soon-to-be-ex-senator from Pennsylvania is doubly qualified to succeed John Bolton, with or without confirmation by the incoming Democratic Senate. First, as he demonstrated not wisely but too well in his losing re-election campaign, Santorum is even more fervent than Bush opposing to Iran and “Islamic fascism.” Then there is the potential Third World appeal of the "compassionate conservative" who was canonized during the campaign by New York Times columnist David Brooks.
There is a precedent for a senator to be repudiated by the voters and then clasped to the bosom of the executive branch. Remember John Ashcroft, who was named attorney general by Bush after being losing his Missouri Senate seat in 2000 to the deceased Mel Carnahan? (Santorum at least was beaten by a live Democrat.)
One nightmare scenario for liberals: Octogenarian Justice John Paul Stevens finally tires of the Supreme Court, Bush plays the Hispanic card (it worked once) and nominates Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to succeed Stevens, forcing the Democratic-controlled Senate either to confirm the first Hispanic justice or re-fight Guantanamo and the war on terror. Then Santorum is appointed to succeed Gonzales at Justice.
But Santorum, a visitor to Terri Schiavo’s hospice and a featured attraction at “Justice Sunday,” might be too radioactive a pick for attorney general. A U.N. posting, by contrast, would allow him to rant for export, out-Boltoning Bolton on Iran, while vindicating David Brooks’ hagiography with conspicuous outreach to African victims of AIDS and genocide.
Presumably this father of six would earn more on the faith-and-values lecture circuit than he would as an attorney general or ambassador. But preaching to the Justice Sunday choir wouldn’t do much to efface Santorum’s image as a conservative culture warrior. By contrast, lecturing tyrants about democracy and Darfur – subjects not likely to lead to a discussion of “man on dog” sex -- could help Santorum reinvent himself.
NRO beat you to this. Worst idea ever.
Posted by: jimmyhaha | December 06, 2006 at 09:07 AM
Here's a crazy idea. Perhaps the Bush administration could find someone in the Republican party ranks who actually knows something about the job for which s/he is being nominated. Santorum at the UN? C'mon. Now if the federal government had an Intolerance Czar, or an Ambassador of Wingnuttery, or a Delegate Plenipoteniary to the Theocratic Autocracy of the Moons of Jupiter, Santorum's the man. But I have to believe that there's at least one or two Republicans other than Colin Powell and James A. Baker III who actually understand that there's a world out there beyond our fair borders.
Posted by: Hemlock for Gadflies | December 06, 2006 at 05:32 AM
"Justice Al Gonzales"
Dios Mio. May we never hear that phrase again.
He is an embarrassment to Rice University and any Hispanic who aspires to be more than a houseboy.
Posted by: No Justice | December 05, 2006 at 11:07 PM
re Santorum: "Then there is the potential Third World appeal.. " - the only third worlders Santorum would appeal to would be on some other planet. Are you really so out of it you actually believe this?
Posted by: Lex Veritas | December 05, 2006 at 07:16 PM