Kathryn, thanks for highlighting the Santorum column. Still, Santorum has a ways to go before 2012, especially after making this remark to the Iowa Republican:

“[Obama] just doesn’t identify with the average American because of his own background — Indonesia and Hawaii.”

Today, the New York Times knocks Santorum for the “dubious” comment and its “heavy” racial implications. I raised an eyebrow for a different reason: After Charles Djou, Republicans, especially wannabe contenders, should not be so casual about the Aloha State.