With his eyes on the Republican presidential nomination in 2012, former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania announced that he will speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) meeting in Washington in February. CPAC is the largest annual meeting of conservative political activists.

“Rick Santorum’s influence on the conservative movement didn’t end when he left the Senate,” said CPAC chair man David Keene. “He remains one of the nation’s most articulate and thoughtful champions of family values and western civilization and anyone who believes that he won’t return to public service underestimates his popularity, his commitment and the need for spokesmen and elected officials that can speak as articulately as Rick on issues of vital concern to all conservatives.”