Palin Energizes Santorum WH Bid

Sarah Palin is using her influence to breathe new life into Rick Santorum's campaign for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination.

The 2008 vice presidential nominee told Fox News' Sean Hannity, "If voters start kind of shifting gears and deciding they want ideological consistency, then they're going to start paying attention to say, Rick Santorum."

Palin also said about Santorum, "He's been consistent in wanting to protect the most vulnerable and the sanctity of life. He's been consistent in saying we need to slash the federal income tax."

Palin also commented that Santorum is a, "hardliner against Iran to help protect Israel."

She stopped short of saying she is endorsing Santorum.

"My personal endorsement probably doesn't amount to a hill of beans at this point in the race," she told Hannity before quickly adding, "Maybe as the weeks progress it would become a little bit more significant."

Santorum sent a letter to his supporters addressing Palin's supportive comments.

He said he is grateful for her remarks, adding it is clear, "other conservatives are starting to rally around our message of passionate conservatism."

Santorum also pointed out in his letter that he is also getting the backing of an Iowa evangelical leader, Pastor Cary Gordon who according to the former Pennsylvania senator, is texting hundreds of thousands of Iowa voters to get on board the campaign.

Gordon of Cornerstone World Outreach says he supports Santorum because of his positions on marriage and abortion.

Santorum is also getting a big boost from conservative filmmaker and Palin confidant Steve Bannon.

Bannon told RealClearPolitics he will have Santorum as his guest for one hour Sunday night on his KABC radio program.

Says Bannon, "We're going to give an entire hour to have him walk through his argument for why he should be the Republican nominee and specifically about Gov. Palin's comment about how he's the most ideologically consistent candidate and how that compares and contrasts with the others."

RealClearPolitics points out Palin wasn't always a big fan of Santorum.

Back in February, Santorum criticized her decision to not attend the CPAC conference in Washington.

"I wouldn't have turned it down. But I don't live in Alaska, right and I'm not the mother to all these kids, and I don't have other responsibilities like she has," he said at the time.

Palin responded back then, "I will not call him the knuckle-dragging Neanderthal that perhaps others would like to call him. I'll let his wife call him that instead."