HAWAII, February 8, 2012 - With decisive victories in Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri, Rick Santorum won the mantle of GOP comeback kid last night and said something profound that set him apart from his opponents:
"We need to be the voice for freedom. And that founding document, the Declaration of Independence, at the end of that document, those founders signed their names. But the last clause of that document said we pledge our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor. [...] America's honor, your honor is at stake. Go out and preserve the greatest country in the history of the world."
Santorum is correct when he says America's honor is at stake. But what exactly is honor?
While most of us think of honor as title, prestige or fame, I think the Marines have the best grasp of the concept: "honor guides those who do the right thing when no one is looking. It is not only a duty, but a distinction, as those who possess honor are held in honor. It's found in one's beliefs, but exhibited through one's actions."
America leads best when she leads by example. This means we need leaders who have the humility to keep our country a nation of laws – not of strongmen – and restore honor to our government institutions. We need to be consistent and live by the rule of law, even when it's inconvenient to personal or passionate mob agendas.
Before we can protect America's borders or overseas interests, we first have to protect America's heart, and honor needs to once more be our breastplate of righteousness.
We need to honor life, liberty and private property and make our nation worthy of the manifold sacrifices that have been poured out on the altar of freedom. We need to do unto others as we would have them do unto us and keep our country’s policies above reproach.
Our honor rests on what we do or fail to do in this election, starting now. Remember this: no foreign enemy can defeat, humiliate or dishonor the United States - only Americans can do that.
Read more:
Santorum upsets the status quo while Paul supporters upset the caucus
Santorum sweeps, Gingrich fades to irrelevance
Santorum's big win spells trouble for Romney and the GOP
Danny de Gracia is a political scientist, an ordained minister and a former senior adviser to two committee chairs of the Hawaii State House of Representatives. He currently lives in Hawaii.
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