Kevin Blaum Column

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Sunday March 14, 2010 | 12:00 AM

Kevin Blaum

FOR THE second time in five months, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum has touched down in Iowa, home of the Hawkeyes and site of the first-in-the-nation 2012 Iowa Presidential Caucus.

In October, I told you of his previous foray into Iowa and the speech he gave before the American Future Fund. The Fund is an assemblage of individuals positioned, I think it’s fair to say, somewhat over there on the far right of the political spectrum.

Santorum was in Des Moines to address the Iowa Christian Alliance on Tuesday evening at its 2010 Spring Kick-Off. More than that, he was invited to give the keynote address. Many of the conservative activists and local Republican candidates were there to watch and listen. Adding to the function’s staunch conservative credentials was its toastmaster, Ralph Reed, former executive director of the Christian Coalition and current CEO of Century Strategies, a campaign and public relations firm based in Georgia and Washington, D.C.

You probably never heard of the Iowa Christian Alliance. It’s not widely known and only 400 Iowans were in the audience to hear our former senator. But, if you are a right-of-center Republican who is considering a 2012 presidential run, with the Iowa Caucuses only 22 months away, keynoting the Spring Kick-Off of the Iowa Christian Alliance is a coveted invitation.

Is Rick Santorum running for president? Let me repeat what I said at the start. Perhaps a bit slower this time, “for-the-second-time-in-five-months…” – emphasis added.

Oh, what a difference five months can make.

This time, Santorum’s Midwest arrival was greeted by slimy robo-calls. You know, those annoying recorded phone calls that interrupt your mornings, afternoons and evenings at home. The cowardly messages, delivered to Iowa Republicans, on tape, accused Santorum of being weak on abortion. Huh?

They called him a “pro-life fraud.” I’m not kidding. It’s probably wise that the anonymous perpetrators of those calls, void of credibility, remain in hiding.

Do not be distracted. Ignore the slurs. That they were perpetrated at all indicates Santorum is making small but measurable progress among Iowa conservatives. Perhaps more important than the unattributed messages and what they suggest is how the former senator handled the surprising tactic.

Showing stature and some poise, Santorum, known to be a feisty competitor during his 12 years in the Senate, refused to fire back or criticize those Republicans slinging mud from behind the bushes. Instead, he simply congratulated them for their strong pro-life beliefs.

Santorum rose above it; he disarmed them and delivered an Iowa performance much better than he had in the fall. Upon concluding his remarks, he received a spontaneous and emotional standing ovation. So much for questioning his conservative credentials.

If Santorum enters the Iowa Caucuses he will have a long and difficult road ahead of him. He might be up against several formidable and well-known Republican names such as Palin, Perry, Pataki, Pawlenty, Paul, Pence, Petraeus, Romney, Gingrich, Jindal, Thune, Barbour, Daniels and more.

However, two years ago an unknown governor of Arkansas won the 2008 Republican Iowa Caucuses. He defeated the likes of Romney, McCain, Thompson and Giuliani. As we know, his name is Mike Huckabee.

Not widely known is that 22 months before the caucuses, he was the keynote speaker at the Iowa Christian Alliance Spring Kick-Off.