The conservative backlash to CNBC's presidential debate has created plenty of political opportunity for Republicans. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) set the bar, telling reporters after a pheasant hunt — a gun slung over his shoulder — that Republicans deserved a debate moderated by Mark Levin and Rush Limbaugh. Carly Fiorina came close, endorsing Glenn Beck's concept of a debate (moderated by him) that would weave in the leading conservative thinkers of the day.

In a fundraising letter Thursday, under the headline "President Obama is chicken," former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum made his play for the title.

President Obama is chicken!

Yeah, I said it… because someone had to!

I’ve dealt with the liberal mainstream media for years. They hate us!

But last week’s CNBC debate was a joke and everyone knows it!

Now President Obama mocks us – CONSERVATIVES - for standing up to CNBC? Give me a break! He doesn’t have the guts to appear with Sean Hannity or Mark Levin, let alone take on radical world leaders!

I’ve taken on the ladies of The View. I’ve gone toe-to-toe with Bill Maher. And I’ve debated Rachel Maddow and won.
More importantly, I’ve taken on ISIS and Iran. They know who I am and I know who they are!

The "debated Rachel Maddow" reference is to an episode of the MSNBC host's show that ran in the wake of the Supreme Court's Obergefell decision, where Santorum surprised some viewers by making a strong social conservative case against it. The reference to the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, knowing "who I am" is to a pull-out in the Islamic State's Dabiq magazine, quoting Santorum under the headline "in the words of the enemy."

Santorum's campaign is focusing heavily on the Iowa caucuses, which he narrowly won in 2012. In a current RCP average of polls, he is winning 1 percent of potential caucus-goers' support.

On Wednesday, Cruz made a similar argument on WTMJ and called Obama, "the worst negotiator in the history of the world for the United States of America."