Pennsylvania Politics -- Santorum Has a Book Out

AP reports:

Sen. Rick Santorum compares abortion to slavery in his new book "It Takes a Family: Conservatism and the Common Good," which is promoted as an alternative to the views of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.

The book by Santorum, R-Pa., was in some Washington bookstores on Tuesday. It describes his evolution from a young politician uncomfortable with abortion to a major player in the anti-abortion movement.

I'm not sure how this is supposed to help him. His opponent is going to be Bob Casey, who is pro-life, not the dread Hillary.

Read it here.

UPDATE: One of my correspondents says that the book is best understood as an attempt by Santorum to get right with his base after playing footsy with Specter in last year's election. That makes sense. Meanwhile Casey is having trouble raising funds in Philly -- the local lefties are upset by his pro-life stance.

UPDATE: What does Ricky have to say? USA Today has a synopsis of his major arguments here.

A sampling:

Drawing on oft-quoted sources ranging from Alexis de Tocqueville to Robert Putnam, author of the 2000 book "Bowling Alone," Santorum argues that many of the problems of America poor can be solved by championing initiatives that encourage connections to family and community -- often through faith-based organizations.

They include fatherhood training programs, more tax relief for families raising children, changes that make divorce more difficult -- and even training professionals from hospital workers to welfare case workers to public educators on how to help couples see the benefits of marriage.

He touts his work on initiatives such as the 1996 Welfare Reform Act, signed by President Clinton, as an initiative reversed a program that he describes as a "spin cycle" -- one that had kept families running in place instead of helping them out of poverty.

Throughout the book, Santorum targets "liberals" who, he says, advocate s "no fault freedom" or freedom without responsibility. He aims his fire at entities he calls --"the Bigs" -- a category that includes "big media," "big universities and public schools" and some "big businesses" run by the "liberal elite," who he says shape American life and values in a way that is destructive.

Hoo, boy! This race is going to be interesting.