February 14, 2012 08:52 PM UTC

Santorum: More Than a Surge?

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• by: Colorado Pols

Our friends at the Washington Post report:

With two new polls showing underdog Rick Santorum gaining on front-runner Mitt Romney among Republicans nationally, the contenders for the GOP presidential nomination are taking advantage of a lull between primary contests to stockpile resources and rally supporters for the next phase of the race.

Separate surveys released Monday by Gallup and the Pew Research Center suggest that Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, and Santorum, a former senator from Pennsylvania, are virtually tied…

Santorum’s apparent surge comes after a string of victories last week in Missouri, Minnesota and Colorado, and it reflects the dissatisfaction and unease that grass-roots conservatives continue to feel about Romney, who has the support of most of the GOP establishment and far superior financial and organizational resources.

Signs of continuing unease with Mitt Romney are everywhere after Rick Santorum’s momentum-swinging wins last week, as is the pushback from establishment Republicans who recognize that Romney is the only candidate left standing with any competitive chance against Barack Obama. The problem, as the GOP base seems to be trying to communicate, is that Romney can’t win either–and if none of them can win, there’s an ideological case for not compromising on your nominee, and choosing a standard bearer who will really fly your flag.

Is that kamikaze endgame where the GOP is headed with Rick Santorum?