Rick "Frothy Mix" Suspends His Campaign

While I view Rick Santorum as a religious extremist lunatic - not to mention a possibly a self-loathing closeted gay based on the new University of Rochester study - I have mixed feelings about his decision to suspend his presidential campaign. Thanks to Frothy Mix, the rest of the GOP clown car was forced to veer far to the right and in the process Mitt Romney may have done some permanent damage to himself notwithstanding his campaign staff's plan to "Etch A Sketch" his image. The Washington Post has coverage on this development. Here are some highlights:

Rick Santorum announced Tuesday that he is suspending his presidential campaign, all but bringing to a close the 2012 GOP presidential contest and effectively handing the nomination to Mitt Romney.

In announcing his decision, Santorum said [his daughter] Bella’s condition caused him to reconsider his campaign but that she “is a fighter and doing extraordinarily well.”

He did not endorse or urge the delegates that he has won to support another candidate, but spokesman Hogan Gidley told MSNBC that the Romney campaign has requested a meeting about an endorsement, which he said Santorum is “open” to.

Santorum called Romney before his announcement Tuesday to inform him of his decision to drop out, according to a Romney campaign official. This race was as improbable as any race you’ll ever see for president,” Santorum said.

Former House speaker Newt Gingrich and Texas Rep. Ron Paul remain in the campaign, but neither has shown the ability to be a consistent alternative to Romney.

Santorum’s exit virtually assures that Romney will secure the Republican Party’s nomination, though he so far has secured only about 60 percent of the delegates that he needs. In a statement, Romney congratulated his opponent. “Sen. Santorum is an able and worthy competitor, and I congratulate him on the campaign he ran,” Romney said. “He has proven himself to be an important voice in our party and in the nation. We both recognize that what is most important is putting the failures of the last three years behind us and setting America back on the path to prosperity.”

I'm sure that there is a great deal of wailing and gnashing of teeth this evening among the Christianist base of the GOP. One can always hope and dream that the demise of Santorum's campaign is reflective of the coming death of the political role of the Christian Right.