Thinking about Santorum

There is an ongoing media flap focusing on Rick Sanotrum's commentary on President Obama's religious beliefs. This is a perfect showcase of just how inane the American political process has become.

Even granting the dubious notion that faith is a window to a candidate's character, this kind of detailed theology should have no place in politics.
Santorum has no chance of winning the presidency. For his part he may be trying to gather a following that will increase his value as a speaker at future engagements. This could also be a last attempt at galvanizing the party around a far-right platform.

On the other hand, this may be a stragem by the party as a whole to deflect theological discussions on Mitt Romney's mormonism, once he gets the Republican nomination. Santorum's bizarre statements may also serve as a lightning rod for the more extreme factions of the Republican Party. This will allow Romney to distance himself from homophobes and religious extremists without seeming to go on the offensive against core Republican values.