Santorum on Women in Combat: Let Me Clarify

Well, yes he does, he explains after gaffe

(NEWSER) - Rick Santorum had a pretty big oops moment yesterday while campaigning in Illinois, when he boldly stated, "I don't care what the unemployment rate's going to be. Doesn't matter to me." His campaign "doesn't hinge on unemployment rates and growth rates," apparently. He explained: "We have one nominee who says he wants to run the economy. What kind of conservative says that the president runs the economy?" More»

Alabama, Mississippi primaries could seal the deal for Romney

(NEWSER) - Today's primaries in Mississippi and Alabama are playing an unexpectedly pivotal role in the GOP presidential race. What to keep an eye on, per NPR and Politico :

• Will Mitt finally win in the South? He's failed to take any of the southern states so far, but he's polling well in both Alabama and Mississippi. Will today be the day he proves he can compete in the famously conservative region? Both states veer particularly sharply to the right, so both Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum really want to beat Romney here to burnish their conservative bona fides.
• Will Newt lose in the South? Gingrich has called both states must-win for him; in order to stay in the race, he'll likely have to win at least one and perform well in the other.

Mitt Romney basically has 4 of the 10 states in the bag

(NEWSER) - Tomorrow is looking good for Mitt Romney, who will likely take more of the 422 delegates up for grabs in Super Tuesday contests than his opponents (an additional 15 super delegates aren't bound to tomorrow's wins). He may even walk away with a delegate majority, writes Nate Silver. A look at the landscape, from the New York Times , Politico , Public Policy Polling , and the Wall Street Journal :

• Georgia (76 delegates): Newt Gingrich will almost certainly win, but Romney could "win by losing," Politico notes: A Gingrich win could keep Newt in the race, where he'll continue to siphon conservative votes from Rick Santorum. (Plus, Romney could still take up to a third of the delegates due to distribution rules.)
• Ohio (66 delegates): Romney has been closing in on Santorum here, and though the race is too close to call , some think Romney's momentum will propel him to a win. Even if it does not, he will likely take the most delegates, since Santorum may be ineligible for 18 of them.
• Tennessee (58 delegates): Romney is also closing in on Santorum here, and an upset victory—which is possible—would be symbolically huge for him, showing he holds appeal even in the South.

Like Dems in 1980s, GOP has forgotten center: Joe Nocera

(NEWSER) - The Republicans need to nominate Rick Santorum, and not just because he would ensure President Obama's re-election. No, an even more important reason is that Santorum represents the most extreme wing of today's GOP, and only his nomination and "drubbing" will force the party to return to a moderate center, writes Joe Nocera in the New York Times . Mitt Romney losing the election would only lead many in the party to conclude they need even more extremism. "If, however, Santorum is the nominee—and then loses in a landslide—the party will no longer be able to delude itself about where its ideological rigidity has taken it," Nocera writes. More»

Unveils 'Economic Freedom Agenda'

(NEWSER) - Rick Santorum unveils his "Economic Freedom Agenda" in the Wall Street Journal today, arguing that "Obamanomics has left one in six Americans in poverty, and one in four children on food stamps" and opponent Mitt Romney's economic plan doesn't go far enough. He lists 10 key points of the plan he says he would submit in his first 100 days as president:

• More energy production: States would be allowed to make their own decisions about where to look for oil and whether to use hydrofracking. Additionally, Santorum would approve the Keystone Pipeline.
• Simpler tax rates: He proposes just two income tax rates, 10% and 28%.