I’ve been waiting and waiting for him and perhaps he has finally arrived. No, not Santa, Rick Santorum.

Normally I don’t put too much stock in what Dick Morris has to say, but since he is saying what I want to hear, I have decided to believe him.

All along, the Tea Party voters have yet to unite behind a single candidate. They still aren’t united, but in Iowa, there is evidence that Rick Santorum may be surging ahead.

In the Tea Party Patriots (TPP) telephone poll of 23,000 supporters nationally, Newt led with 31% of the vote, followed by Bachmann at 28%, Romney at 20% and Santorum with a surprising 16%.

And then there is the Rasmussen poll. Look at Santorum’s increase while the other candidates are steady or down.

Here are the stats from the past three Iowa Rasmussen Polls (Nov 15, Dec 13, and Dec 19)

RASMUSSEN POLLS IN IOWA
Nov 15
Dec 13
Dec 19
Romney
19
23
25
Paul
10
18
20
Gingrich
32
20
17
Santorum
5
6
10
Perry
6
10
10
Bachmann
6
9
6
Huntsman
2
5
4

There has always been a sort of mini-primary among the Tea Party followers among Gingrich, Perry, Bachmann, Cain, and Santorum – the candidates they find acceptable. Gingrich’s and Bachmann’s drop, Cain’s withdrawal, and Perry’s stagnation all contrast sharply with Santorum’s surge.

So is this the moment that we all (by which I mean me) have been waiting for?

Santorum’s biggest issue has been plausibility. If he can get into double digits in polls and surprise in Iowa with a solid ground game (which I hear he has) then this could go a long way toward plausibility. Then, then he might become THE conservative alternative to Mitt. And the bonus, he is an ACTUAL conservative.

Go Rick, Go Rick!!