After an hour-long, one-on-one meeting with the likely GOP presidential nominee Friday, Rick Santorum finally announced his endorsement of Mitt Romney. In his letter to supporters yesterday, Santorum explained he felt a "deep responsibility to assess Governor Romney's commitment" to conservative issues like pro-family initiatives and ensuring that his legion of social conservatives and tea party supporters would have their voices heard under a Romney administration.

The role of the family and pro-family initiatives was obviously a big topic of conversation for the two conservatives during their date in Pittsburgh. As team Santorum wrote in their humble-bragging endorsement letter:

The family and its foundational role in America's economic success, a central point of our campaign, was discussed at length. I was impressed with the Governor's deep understanding of this connection and his commitment to economic policies that preserve and strengthen families. He clearly understands that having pro-family initiatives are not only the morally and economically right thing to do, but that the family is the basic building block of our society and must be preserved.

Although the two of them didn't completely see eye-to-eye during primary season, Santorum highlighted those points where he felt that he and Mittens were in harmony. Namely: "the need for lower taxes, smaller government, and a reduction in out-of-control spending," as well as the obvious conservative touchstones that "abortion is wrong and marriage should be between one man and one woman."

Although the infamously anti-gay Santorum agrees with Romney on foreign policy issues, he hinted at how he felt about last week's kerfuffle over Romney's former out gay foreign policy advisor by reminding supporters that "personnel is policy" and vowing ensure the former Massachusetts Governor surrounds himself with more conservative leaders as he builds out his campaign. After eight paragraphs of talking mostly about himself, Santorum finally turned the topic towards Obama, claiming the president was something of a Russian sympathizer who has turned America in to a "European socialist state" rather than "the land of opportunity our founding fathers established." Above all else, Santorum explained, "President Obama must be defeated."

Previously: Romney Dying To Spread Santorum: Mitt Hopes To Campaign With Rick, All previous Rick Santorum coverage on SFist.
[RickSantorum]
[NYMag]