SANTORUM looks for a late surge:

Donning his trademark sweater vest to meet an after-church lunch crowd here, Santorum implored the state's evangelical voters to pick a candidate who will defend their values rather than settle for a nominee, like front-runner Mitt Romney, just because he was judged more electable.

"I hear some say we need to put these social issues aside," said Santorum, insisting Republicans need a nominee who could provide a "true contrast" with President Obama. "They don't know America. America is a moral enterprise not an economic enterprise."

Here's my problem with Santorum: we're not electing a preacher for President; we did that 3 years ago.

"I'm going with Romney," said Jill Williams, a stay-at-home mom from Myrtle Beach. "I could care less about who a bunch of strangers endorse out in Texas [Christian leadership conference in Houston]. I care about beating Obama. If that happens, I can deal with all the other things that might not be perfect about Romney."

I still have some hope for Gingrich or Perry, but I will vote for Romney if it comes to a choice between him and Santorum.

WHY SHOULD WE? Obama Officials Say We Don't Trust the Government Enough.

MORE PROOF the Nanny State needs to go.

DON'T TRY TO TELL OBAMA THAT: "He's not a God.... "

THE LEAF-BLOWER PARADOX and the fundamental fallacy of Obamanonics.

According to Obama, EPA regulations create jobs. “When we put in place new common-sense rules to reduce air pollution, we create new jobs building and installing all sorts of pollution-control technology.”

[This] is the equivalent of hiring thousands of men to drive steamrollers over America’s farmlands. Not only have we lowered unemployment by creating thousands of new Steamroller Driver positions, but we’ve created more jobs in the agricultural sector as well, since the farmers now have to hire workers to re-plant all their crops!

Read it all.

NEW YORK: taxing it's way to prosperity. Uh, huh.

SHOTGUN VS. HOME INVASION: shotgun wins.

THEY'RE INBRED, AND THEY DON'T WORK: Journalists' dirty little secret.

More proof: "The media tend to assign each candidate a character flaw as a form of shorthand (John McCain was volatile, George W. Bush was dopey, Obama is all talk)."

Milbank must have taken an honesty pill recently.

LARRY KUDLOW: Isn't a Bainful Turnaround What America Needs?

There's a very troubled company out there called U.S. Government Inc. It's teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. And it badly needs to be taken over and turned around. It probably even needs the services of a good private-equity firm, with plenty of experience and a reasonably good track record in downsizing, modernizing, shrinking staff and making substantial changes in management. Yes, layoffs will be a necessary part of the restructuring.

A quick look at the income statement of this troubled firm tells the story. Just in the past year (FY 2011), the firm spent $3.7 trillion, but took in only $2.2 trillion in sales revenues. Hence its deficit came to $1.5 trillion.

Just in the first three months of the new year (FY 2012), the firm's troubles continued. Outlays for all purposes came in at $874 billion, but income was only $554 billion. So the shortfall was $320 billion. No hope of a self-imposed turnaround here. Indeed, both the senior management and the board of directors show no signs of making major changes to their business strategy. Hope for future profits? That's out of the question. The firms only chance of survival is a takeover.

Maybe it is time for a venture capitalist to step in ....

OBAMA'S MODEL: crony capitalism and corporate welfare. This, not Bain, is real vulture capitalism.

I WOULD fly with this pilot.

IT'S ONLY UNCIVIL if you do it.

HOPE: Bloomberg's Law(suit).

Much more here.

TWO TIMES ZERO IS STILL ZERO: What if humans could be made twice as intelligent?