Crowd goes wild for Santorum at CPAC

◼ SANTORUM SLAMS OBAMA & ROMNEY AT CPAC, RECEIVES STANDING OVATION & ROARING APPLAUSE - Billy Hallowell/The Blaze

Fresh off the heels of his major victories in Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri, Rick Santorum sought to solidify himself as the true conservative option during his CPAC 2012 address today in Washington, D.C. Throughout his nearly-30-minute speech, he attempted to convince the audience that he’s the candidate who best reflects their values. The Hill’s Cameron Joseph called it “one of the strongest speeches of his presidential campaign.”

◼ In his remarks to the Conservative Political Action Conference, Santorum drew sharp contrasts between himself and both President Obama and Mitt Romney, although he didn't mention the former Massachusetts governor by name. - The Hill

“Government will own you because you will have to pay tribute to Washington in order to get the care you need for your children,” the former Pennsylvania senator said. “The major reason I’m in this race is because I believe ObamaCare is a game-changer for America.

“We've seen the president of the United States not only tell you what insurance coverage you should have, how much you’re going to pay, how much you’re going to be fined if you don’t, but now he's telling the Catholic Church that they are forced to pay for things that are against their basic tenets and teachings, against their First Amendment right,” he said, framing the issue not just as a religious one but one of personal freedom.

“This is the kind of coercion that we expect,” Santorum added. “It’s not about contraception. It's about economic liberty. It's about freedom of speech. It's about government coercion. It's about government control of your lives and it's got to stop!”
The audience roared to its feet — the standing ovation lasted a full 30 seconds.

◼ Santorum could be the trial by fire the GOP needs - HotAir