opinion

Here are 10 things Rick Santorum should do to build on his huge successes Tuesday:

1. Win over the base. Deliver an uplifting, positive speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference that defines his agenda and shows he can command the room. Leave the attacks to surrogates.

2. Repeat over and over that his concern for the poor and his agenda aimed at reviving manufacturing do not mean he is out of the mainstream of fiscal conservatism. Indeed, Santorum has the most detailed conservative plan for entitlement, spending and tax reform that adopts the mantra of low taxes, modest regulation and reduced spending.

3. Let his super PAC do the negative ads; focus his own ads on his economic agenda and record of getting conservative legislation passed.

4. Lead the effort to push back on the administration's attack on the Catholic Church.

5. Lead on Iran. Seek to impress the hawks and show credibility as commander in chief while President Obama plays down the military option and seems to want more negotiations.

6. Call out the president for being a coward on entitlement reform and the debt — the greatest challenges of our time. Obama hasn't followed his own commission and has never set out his own specific tax, entitlement and spending reform plans.

7. Send Karen Santorum everywhere. She will soften his image and boost his standing with women.

8. Defend military spending and challenge the president's spending priorities.

9. Reach out to fiscal conservatives and libertarians by going after the bailouts and the crony-capitalism mentality. Make the case for why the cozy relationship between business and government is bad for both and bad for consumers.

10. Present an affirmative, common-sense plan on immigration. He needs to be in favor of law and order but also reiterate that the GOP is in favor of legal immigration.