Santorum's swan song

There are only two types of people who will read Santorum's farewell speech to the Senate -- it's 6790 words, by the way -- wonks, who are by definition masochists, and mad far-right-wingers in whose minds the pipes are constantly skirling, skirling, driving them to think Santorum should be president. (Link courtesy Hot Air)

But out of morbid fascination, and because I'm home sick, I will capture Santorum's main points:

• "We" have "an enemy," to wit, "Islamic fascism... this relentless and determined radical enemy that is not just a group of rag-tag people living in caves but, in fact, people with an ideology, a plan, and increasingly the resources to carry out that plan, as well as, increasingly, a bigger and larger presence throughout the Islamic world, these radical Islamic fascists.
• "This is the biggest issue of our time."
• The U.S. is in a state of war, not only with this "presence," but with the nation of Iran. "The State of Iran specifically has been at war with us since 1979 when they declared war against the United States. They have not rescinded that declaration." Who knew!?
• The CIA, the State Department, and the Pentagon are part of the problem. They don't realize the US is at war; they want to deal with Iran.
• "The Baker-Hamilton report ... is a prescription for surrender."
• Many things "the Islamic fascists" have done are evil. Santorum embarks on a long passage where he relates several incidents he says have taken place in recent months, and then intones: "This is evil."
• Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the other evil Muslims understand America and how to exploit our weaknesses; "they respect us enough so they know what buttons to push and how hard to push them. They respect us enough to figure out what it will take to defeat us. I wish that were the case for the American people."
• "We have not only the Islamic fascists led by Iran, but we now have an alliance between Iran and North Korea."
• Something about Venuzuela.
• A lot more about Venuzuela and a completely nutty theory that Hugo Chavez has a plan to develop military bases across South America, creating a Soviet-style bloc.
• "Let's not overlook the role of Russia in working with all of these governments--Iran, North Korea, and Venezuela."
• Compares himself repeatedly to Churchill.

This is the guy who lost his Senate race in a moderate state by 59-41. You can see why.