Senior Conservative rethinks stance on death penalty

Republican Senator Rick Santorum, of Pennsylvania, favourite target of left wing hate mongers, is reconsidering his stance on the death penalty. He says he was "inspired by the Pope's call to be consistently pro-life". Senator Santorum is a devout Catholic.

Senator Santorum is a staunch conservative, but he dirtied his bib with that conservative constituency over his support for liberal Republican Senator Arlen Specter in a Pennsylvania Senatorial primary last year.

As an opponent of the death penalty, I welcome any new converts, especially from the Republican right. However, given polling data which shows him trailing to Bob Casey, a pro life Democrat, and another Catholic, I have my doubts as to the sincerity of his conversion.