The Lucky, the Angry, the Scary

Those Republicans who will vote in the near future on their choice for a presidential nominee can look to Iowa and see who is the luckiest politician in America, the angriest politician in America and, at least to GOP insiders, the scariest politician in America.

The luckiest politician is Rick Santorum, who surged from Nowheresville to within eight votes of Mitt Romney in Tuesday's Iowa caucuses. It was Santorum's turn at the top of the polls, and it came at just the right time. The social conservatives, fiscal conservatives and evangelicals who make up the Tea Party had swooned for Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich — only to lose interest in all of them. Santorum gained their favor just in time for Iowa.

Will the Tea Party's support solidify behind the ex-senator from Pennsylvania? It may, if enough of the low scorers throw their support to him.

The angriest politician is Newt Gingrich, who was the darling of hard-right conservatives about two weeks ago but saw his poll numbers plummet. He blames attack ads paid for by Romney's moneyed buddies.

Gingrich is feisty pretty much 24/7, but have we seen him really, truly angry? Doubtful.

As Tom Cruise said in the first "Mission: Impossible" movie, "You've never seen me very upset." Maybe we will in the next debate.

Speaking of impossible missions, Texas Rep. Ron Paul, whose aggressive stance on budget-cutting scares the bejabbers out of Republican establishment types, placed a respectable third in Iowa. He won't win the nomination. Neither will he rule out a third-party try. That scares the GOP even more.

And what of Romney, who squeaked to first place? He may not be America's dullest politician, but most Republicans don't seem to like him; 75 percent in Iowa favored somebody else. He hasn't convinced the GOP he's conservative enough. That will matter less as November nears and Republicans hanker for someone who is "electable" against President Obama. They could get behind Romney just to get Obama out of the White House.

A Miramar Beach, Fla., resident said in a recent letter that he'll support anybody who can beat Obama. For Republicans, Mr. Romney may be Mr. Anybody.

REPRINTED FROM THE NORTHWEST FLORIDA DAILY NEWS

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