Jon Stewart said that his interview with Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum was "illuminating." Stewart and even Santorum deserve credit for daring to be out of their element for the interview. Stewart, unlike a Fox News anchor appeared to truly be interested in why someone who disagrees with him believes what he does and in trying to probe the reason for their differences. The interview was civil, but, for the amount of time Stewart had, I believe he challenged Santorum enough.
Given this collegial and inquisitive atmosphere, Santorum should have brought more to the table. His declarations about the importance of "character," "virtue," and "family," came without any suggestion of how these priorities are to be achieved. Santorum had very little to offer in this regard (and I wish Stewart had grilled him more rather than just focusing on Santorum's anti-gay sentiments). In my opinion, character and virtue are built upon the ethical theory of conduct to "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you," and building character and virtue should thus be advanced with this goal in mind. Santorum seemed only to find worth in pointing fingers at groups who he believes lack these things. The best way to realize one's beliefs is to act, and as a representative of the people, it would be great if Santorum would act by supporting such things as family planning programs to encourage potential parents to be prepared to have children and to foster a loving environment. (Santorum is against family planning, for the record).
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