Yechezkel Gordon: THE ENIGMA OF RICK SANTORUM

Dissatisfied Republicans have looked everywhere for an authentic conservative alternative to Mitt Romney, everywhere that is, except for the one place where it might already exist.

First there was Michele Bachmann who shot to the top of the GOP field with an impressive victory in the highly touted Iowa straw poll. But she soon found herself out of the spotlight when the Governor of Texas, Rick Perry, made his highly anticipated entrance into the election.

The buzz for Perry was so strong in the media at first, that many commentators declared the election came down to Romney vs Perry. But Perry began to unravel in the GOP debates when his not so conservative views on illegal immigration and securing the border came to light. The intense scrutiny by the national media didn't help either, and before you knew it there was one negative story after the other on Perry. Conservatives started asking themselves, if Perry can't hold is own in a debate against his fellow Republicans, how can they expect him to fair any better against Obama. That's when a new conservative star was born.

To the surprise of most pundits, businessman Herman Cain won the Florida straw poll, propelling him to the front of most national polls alongside Romney. His credentials on fixing the economy were boosted with his previous experience as CEO of a national pizza chain, and his catchy "9-9-9" tax plan seemed to resonate with voters. But the Cain train was suddenly knocked off course when Politico reported that Cain had been accused of improper behavior with two previous female employers. The harassment allegations took on a life of there own, and before you knew it two more women stepped forward with similar claims.

The fall of Cain has led to the rise of former speaker of the house Newt Gingrich. And that's pretty much where the race stands today. Most polls have Romney and Gingrich leading the pack, with Cain rapidly falling and Perry nearly knocked out after his "oops" blunder in a debate when he forgot the third department of government he wanted to abolish. Ron Paul continues to have a steady showing of support by his loyal supporters, but his fringe policies make it unlikely he'll be able to widen his support base any further.

And that leaves us with Rick Santorum, a former Senator from Pennsylvania. Santorum is arguably the staunchest conservative in the race, with strong conservative values across the board. His strong support for Israel and hawkish approach to Iran is not simply an election gimmick, he has a solid twelve year record in the Senate that backs it up.

In an earlier interview with the Washington Post, Santorum explained his foreign policy credentials. “During my time on the Senate Armed Services Committee, I chaired a subcommittee that worked on all military procurement issues, helped transform the military and our intelligence system as well as delved into the issues facing our nation in the Middle East. That is how I came to authoring legislation to protect Israel from the threat posed by Syria and to assist pro-democracy movements in Iran. I worked with my advisers, but I also dove into the issues, learned about them, weighed the advice of divergent viewpoints and then came to my policy decisions. This is the combination of experience and intangibles that our next president needs, and it’s what I alone bring to the table.”

Santorum is also unique in his strong pro-life and pro-family policies. In short, he's a social and fiscal conservative with a hawkish foreign policy. He's has the experience and track record to back up his rhetoric, but for some reason he continues to show up at the bottom of every poll. Even in Iowa, where's he's spent the bulk of his time campaigning and visited all 99 counties, he only has 5% support in the latest poll. He's done well in the debates and has given three major policy speeches, but so far it hasn't helped.

Republicans are tripping over themselves trying to find a true conservative to take on Romney in the primaries and Obama in the general election, so why not give Santorum a chance. Let's see how he does under the bright glare of the media spotlight. Will he fumble on Libya like Cain did the other day? Does he have a strong moral past that can stand up to the controversy diggers in the media? There's only one way to find out. Ronald Reagan is no longer alive to save the Republican party and defeat Obama, but Santorum is. It's time to give him that chance.

Yechezkel Gordon: ORTHODOX JEWS PLAY A PIVOTAL ROLE IN THE GOP CANDIDATES PRO-ISRAEL STANCE

Texas Governor Rick Perry, a contender for the Republican Presidential nomination, held a press conference at the W Hotel in midtown Manhattan a few months ago. It was a clear showing of his strong support for Israel, and criticism for what he believes are the failed and misguided policies of President Obama on Israel.

"We would not be here today … if the Obama policy in the Middle East wasn’t naive and arrogant, misguided and dangerous,” he said. "There is no middle ground between our allies and those who seek their destruction," continued Perry, who is being advised on foreign policy by some of the leading conservative voices of the George W. Bush administration. "America should not be ambivalent between the terrorist tactics of Hamas and the security tactics of the legitimate and free state of Israel."

Strong words indeed!

Standing on stage behind Perry at the press conference were some of the leading Jewish activists in NY and a few Israeli politicians. But standing out among them were three individuals who stood together just one week ago at the winning rally of newly elected Congressman Bob Turner; NY Assmblyman Dov Hikind, NYC Jewish Community activist Chaskel Bennett, and the newly elected Congressman Turner. Some might have wondered how the orthodox Jewish leaders managed to be front and center in a major press conference with someone who might be our next President. But the answer is simple: Israel.

The Republican Party is doing all it can to woo Jewish voters who usually vote democrat but might be susceptible to vote republican in 2012 if they feel that the security and safety of Israel depends on it. That's where the orthodox Jewish leaders play a prominent role. Since, unlike conservative or reform Jews, the orthodox have already clearly embraced the GOP and have voted heavily for them for over a decade. (Lieberman was the last presidential election that many orthodox also voted democrat) On both social and foreign policy issues the orthodox and GOP see eye to eye. Being pro-Israel also helps in the Republican primaries, where the Christian conservatives who strongly ally with Israel, play a major role. Hence, it was no surprise to see Perry embrace, both literally and figuratively, prominent orthodox jewish leaders at the Israel press conference.

The GOP has tactically used Obama's vulnerability on Israel to their benefit, by making Israel a major issue in the 2012 elections. This creates a tremendous opportunity for the orthodox Jewish community as a whole, and it's leaders in particular, to rise up to the occasion and make a tremendous kiddush hashem. Let's make sure we don't make the Republican Party regret their embrace of us.