Of the three billionaires - Sheldon Adelson, Jon Huntsman, Sr. and Foster Friess -- that Politico's Ken Vogel wrote about recently in a piece titled "3 billionaires who'll drag out the race," we probably know the least about Rick Santorum's pal, Foster Friess, who by all accounts has nothing to do with the ice-cream franchise, but had a lot to do with keeping the former Pennsylvania Senator's campaign afloat as the Republican Party's presidential sweepstakes played out in South Carolina.

Foster Friess is "a major financial backer of a super PAC supporting Rick Santorum called the Red, White and Blue Fund," Politico reported. "'I guess if Newt's got $5 million, it makes sense that ... [Santorum] should have a little bit,' said Friess, who has known Santorum since the 1990s and shares his conservative views on social and foreign policy issues."

One of the great ironies of American society is that most abortions in the U.S. are caused by conservative Christians. Read the statistics: Forty nine percent of pregnancies in this country are unintended, a rate that has been painfully stable for almost 30 years. Almost half of those pregnancies end in abortion. Or, to turn it around, over 90% of U.S. abortions are the result of accidental pregnancy. U.S. rates of unwanted pregnancy and abortion far exceed any other country with similar economic development.  So does our rate of religiosity.  The fact that we are outliers on both is not a coincidence.

As part of our continuing celebration of Religious Freedom Day, we are honored to welcome George Mason as a guest front pager.  Mason is the principal author of the The Virginia Declaration of Rights, which was unanimously ratified by a Virginia revolutionary congress in 1776 just prior to the American Revolution.  The Virginia Declaration was influential in the thinking and the language of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, as well as the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the First Amendment. -- FC

It appeared that the contest for anybody-but-Romney might swing Rick Santorum's way following support of major Religious Right leaders at the Texas conclave last weekend. But news quickly leaked out of the continuing division among the attendees of the Texas gathering, including charges that the published results did not accurately reflect the strength of Ginrich's support.  Following are seven reasons why the thrice-married Newt Gingrich has much more support among the Religious Right than might be expected.

The 60th annual National Prayer Breakfast will take place Feb. 2 here in Washington, D.C.

This event is privately sponsored by a shadowy fundamentalist Christian group called "The Family" (also known as the Fellowship Foundation). You might remember them from a few years ago, when a nasty sex scandal erupted over their infamous "C Street House" and the rowdy escapades of some of its residents.

The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) was temporarily in the spotlight following the endorsement and participation of leading apostles and prophets in Rick Perry's Houston prayer event in August. Interest in the NAR dwindled as Perry's campaign failed, but the movement is still making significant inroads with apostles and prophets touted as emerging leaders in a Religious Right increasingly dominated by the Pentecostal/Charismatic sector. It is inside the larger evangelical and Charismatic world that NAR leadership has been working aggressively to defend their movement, not to a general public mostly unaware of its existence.  Attempts to prove that the NAR adheres to "classic Christian creeds," has included publishing a statement of belief.

Many of us thought that Rick Santorum's (R-PA) political career was over when he lost his seat to to Democrat Bob Casey, Jr. in 2006.   But recent events suggest Santorum is enjoying an historic comeback.  His second place finish in the Iowa caucuses and the backing of 150 national Religious Right leaders seeking to unify behind a single candidate may make him the main conservative alternative to Mitt Romney.

But all this may signal not only a revival of Santorum's political career, but the neoconservative philosophy.

A group of Religious Right leaders met in Texas this past weekend in order to consolidate their support against Mitt Romney prior to the South Carolina primary.  Much to their surprise, they succeeded.  "What I did not think was possible appears to be possible," said the group's spokesperson, Tony Perkins  of the Family Research Council.  However, the group  will not be asking Rick Perry or Newt Gingrich to drop out of the race.

Today, Santorum, Gingrich, and Ron Paul are scheduled to speak at South Carolina's first statewide Tea Party convention.

Last year, Republican anti-abortion militant Randall Terry changed parties and announced that he would run in the Democratic primaries against Barack Obama.  His aim was to exploit a provision in federal law that requires television stations to air uncensored ads for candidates within 45 days of an election. Terry, acting as campaign manager for a GOP candidate for Delegate from the District of Columbia had previously tested the situation and had been able to air gory fetus antiabortion ads in the DC market.

His stated goal was to be able to air similar ads during the Super Bowl.  He has already aired a few ads in Iowa, New Hampshire, and Boston -- and wants to run ads during the Super Bowl in 40 cities in 17 states where there will be Democratic primaries and caucuses within the 45 day window.  (In a fundraising letter (PDF) he names the stations in the cities where he would like to be able to buy ads.)

We are honored to welcome James Madison as a guest front pager. Mr. Madison, best known as the fourth President of the United States, also served as Governor of Virginia; as a Delegate to the Constitutional Convention where he was the principle author of the resulting Constitution; and as a Member of the first Congress, where he was also the principal author of the First Amendment to the Constitution. He joins us today as part of our celebration of Religious Freedom Day, which commemorates the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, authored and first introduced by his friend and colleague Jefferson in 1779, but enacted under Madison's leadership in 1786 while he was Governor.  

Mr. Madison's essay Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments was written in opposition to a bill by Patrick Henry that would tax all citizens to pay for Christian educators.  The essay was widely disseminated throughout the state and was a key factor in the defeat of the Henry tax bill and indirectly provided arguments and a positive political context for the passage Jefferson's pioneering legislation. -- FC

President Obama has continued the tradition initiated by Bill Clinton, of issuing a Presidential Proclamation in commemoration of Religious Freedom Day.  He writes: "I call on all Americans to commemorate this day with events and activities that teach us about this critical foundation of our Nation's liberty, and show us how we can protect it for future generations at home and around the world. "

And it is in that spirit and intention that we are honored to welcome President Barack Obama as a guest front pager. -- FC

We are honored to welcome former president Thomas Jefferson as a guest front pager.  He is the first of a series of prominent writers and thinkers who will be joining us for the next several days in commemoration of the January 16, 1786 enactment of Jefferson's Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom.  Presidents since Bill Clinton have proclaimed January 16th as Religious Freedom Day.  

The text of Mr. Jefferson's bill, one of three accomplishments for which he wished to be most remembered, along with authoring the Declaration of Independence and founding the University of Virginia, is after the jump. -- FC