He plans to focus on 2006 race for Senate; he's in line for No. 2 job.

Don't bother with those ''Santorum for President'' bumper stickers just yet.

U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., came as close as any ambitious politician ever will to taking himself out of a future presidential race, saying Tuesday he has no plans to run in 2008.

''If you talk to everybody who's thinking about running for president, they're working right now,'' Santorum said over breakfast with Pennsylvania reporters. ''They're lining up people, they're making visits to New Hampshire and Iowa, and they're doing what's necessary to build that political and grass-roots support.

''Let me be very candid: I'm not going to do any of that. If I travel around the country — which I intend to do — it's for one purpose: to raise money for my Senate race in 2006.''

Early handicappers of the 2008 presidential race have included Santorum's name in the mix because of his rapid rise in Republican politics, his fund-raising abilities and his appeal to socially conservative voters.

Santorum, 46, hasn't discouraged the speculation, and even Tuesday said he would ''never say never.''

But instead of making the big leap for the White House, Santorum said he's focused on taking a smaller but still significant step up in Senate leadership.

Santorum chairs the Senate Republican Conference, putting him at No. 3 behind Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee and Majority Whip Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

Frist, who's exploring a presidential bid, has said he won't run for a third Senate term next year. McConnell is expected to move up to leader, providing an opening for Santorum to become whip, the No. 2 job.

The conference chairman is primarily responsible for public relations, helping shape the message that goes along with the legislation that Senate Republicans want to advance. As whip, Santorum would play a larger role in the day-to-day legislative strategy and rounding up votes to pass key agenda items.

''It's the path of least resistance,'' Santorum said. ''It's also a step up. It's an opportunity to have even more say about what goes on around here. I think it plays to a lot of my strengths and what I can do around the floor of the U.S. Senate.''

He first has to win re-election, however.

Democrats have made him their primary Senate target in 2006, arguing that his conservatism is out of the mainstream in a state that's voted Democratic in the last four presidential elections.

But Santorum sees Pennsylvania as more ''purple'' than Democratic ''blue'' because it elects both Republicans and Democrats. Santorum, in fact, won his last Senate race in the same election that Al Gore carried Pennsylvania.

Several Democrats are looking at the '06 race, including state Treasurer Bob Casey Jr., former state Treasurer Barbara Hafer and former U.S. Rep. Joe Hoeffel of Montgomery County, who lost to U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., last year.

Santorum anticipates a difficult election but expects to win ''no matter who the opponent is,'' based on his record of service to the state. ''I feel very confident that we've built support on both sides of the aisle in Pennsylvania and we're going to do very well,'' he said.

On other topics, Santorum said:

He hasn't endorsed a Republican for governor in 2006 and won't weigh in until after the primary...

Some social conservatives are still giving him an earful about his support for Specter in last year's Senate primary over former U.S. Rep. Pat Toomey, R-15th District. But Santorum expects them to be with him in 2006. ''I never claimed to be the best option, just the better option,'' Santorum said.

His book, titled ''It Takes a Family,'' is scheduled for publication in June. He called it ''a quasi-academic work'' that focuses on making government and other institutions friendlier toward families...