It’s make-or-break time for Rick Santorum (who still can’t escape the infamy of his last name on Google). The culture warrior has risen in popularity among the Republican base by throwing out red meat pertaining to religion, birth control and slamming the president’s value system as a “phony theology.”

Can Santorum not only win the GOP nomination, but somehow unseat President Obama from office? Our cartoonists sure don’t think so. Here are five recent cartoons that sum up their thoughts…

David Fitzsimmons / Arizona Daily Star (click to view more cartoons by Fitzsimmons)

John Cole / Scranton Times-Tribune (click to view more cartoons by Cole)

Jeff Parker / Florida Today (click to view more cartoons by Parker)

Adam Zyglis / Buffalo News (click to view more cartoons by Zyglis)

Jimmy Margulies / The Record (click to view more cartoons by Margulies)

Rob Tornoe / PoliticalCartoons.com (click to start slideshow)

Political campaign rhetoric took a swift turn right over the past week, shifting from a discussion about the economy and jobs to the topic of women's contraceptives. Rick Santorum has openly questioned whether birth control is a good thing, and Republicans in the House even held a hearing about reproductive rights featuring no female experts. 

Is it an attack against religious freedom by an out of control government, or a discussion that belongs back in the 1950s? Check out our new Attack on Women's Health to see what our cartoonists think.  

With the cost of a gallon of gas inching closer and closer to $4, many economists worry that the pinch people are feeling at the pump will harm our current recovery.

The rising cost of gas is something that happens every year, but it seems to be getting worse. Gas prices have never been higher this time of the year than they are now, and we can expect even sharper increases at the pump because gas typically rises in March and April.

I’ve drawn lots of cartoons over the years about the rising cost of gas. Here are some of my favorites…

My daughter, graphic journalist Susie Cagle, has posted a new series of drawings from Occupy Oakland, which she has been covering for various media outlets.

"Occupy Oakland has captured the nation and even the world's attention at times," she writes on Truth-Out. "But those times have not been for Occupy Oakland's thoughtful direct actions or peaceful marches, but instead for the brutality of its suppression by police."

Click here to view all of Susie's drawings

Dave Granlund / PoliticalCartoons.com (click to start slideshow)

Every Friday, we collect the best political cartoons of the week and stuff them into one big, glorious slideshow.

So just relax and catch up on a week’s worth of news with our Best Cartoons of the Week slideshow.

I don't think I've ever heard the term "birth control" used more than it has in the past week. President Obama set off a firestorm by proposing a requirement that all companies, including some faith-based employers, pay for contraception health coverage for women. 

Opponents, led by certain Roman Catholic groups, lamented this as a "war on religion," and forced Obama to propose a compromise that would shift the burden of providing free contraception coverage to insurers. Now religious groups are split, and Republicans have proposed an amendment that would allow any employer to choose which health benefits to provide based on their personal moral beliefs

We have a diverse group of cartoonists, and here are their thoughts on this ongoing debate. What do you think? Comment below, or drop us a note on our Facebook page

Rick McKee / Augusta Chronicle

Rob Tornoe / Media Matters

Eric Allie / PoliticalCartoons.com

David Fitzsimmons / Arizona Daily Star

Nate Beeler / Washington Examiner

John Cole / Scranton Times-Tribune (click to start slideshow)

Anyone who's filled their car up recently has felt the pinch of rising gas prices at the pump. The national average today rose to $3.50 a gallon, and Oil is once again trading above $100 a barrel.  

Cartoonists can't help with the hit your taking in your wallet, but at least we can put a smile on your face. Check out our new Rising Gas Prices cartoon slideshow.  

This week, President Obama released his $3.8 trillion budget, and to no one's surprise critics were quick to slam it as bloated and scandalous. 

Obama proposes that millionaires pay a minimum tax rate of 30 percent, and cuts the deficit to only $901 billion, down from $1.33 trillion in 2012. Talk about penny pinching! (What you need to know about Obama's budget proposal)

Here are five cool cartoons from some of the nation's top cartoonists. What do you think of Obama's budget? Comment below, or let us know on our Facebook page. 

Eric Allie / PoliticalCartoons.com (click to view more cartoons by Allie)

Nate Beeler / Washington Examiner (click to view more cartoons by Beeler)

Rick McKee / Augusta Chronicle (click to view more cartoons by McKee)

Pat Bagley / Salt Lake Tribune (click to view more cartoons by Bagley)

David Fitzsimmons / Arizona Daily Star (click to view more cartoons by Fitzsimmons)

It’s Valentine’s Day, and while most guys are rushing around trying to get some flowers and chocolates impressive enough to satisfy their significant other, I’ve been selfishly co-opting the imagery of the holiday in a fleeting attempt to make readers happy.

Here are my Valentine’s Day cartoons for 2012. Between Obama and Mitt, I’d say Cupid has his work cut out for him…