[fightinJAG]

As Rush and others pointed out, if Nancy Reagan had ever thought that Newt was in any way an opponent of her beloved husband, she would never have even appeared on a stage with him, let alone presented him with an award and said such kind things about him.

This misses the point for me.

I think it's of course ridiculous to claim that Newt Gingrich was "an opponent" of Ronald Reagan.

But the fact is that, typical of Newt, he didn't always exercise the best judgment in how, when, where and in what words he voiced his views.

Recognizing that this man has a history political brain farts is not out-of-bounds. In fact, it is one of the reasons for and results of a robust primary.

Moreover, and also typical of Gingrich, none of this would have had the impact it had had he, himself, not overreached (in practical political terms) by his own characterization of his relationship with President Reagan and Reaganism.

That said, Palin is exactly right that Mittens is in absolutely no position to say Word One about any of this.

I think the world of Sarah Palin, but I have not appreciated her coyness in her support of Newt. She stated the people of South Carolina should vote for Newt "to keep the primary season going," which is not the same as saying "so Newt has a better chance of winning." But at the same time what's happened in terms of opposition to Newt is exactly what was predictable as the primary season "kept going."

I initially thought Palin's seeming strategery was pretty smart. Now I think she was wrong and somewhat dishonest (disingenuous) to not endorse Newt, if that's what she was actually trying to accomplish, rather than simply claiming the goal was "keeping it going and see what happens."

[Ron C.]

She cannot endorse - she is under contract with Fox News and is prohibited - by contract - from doing so.

In fact she is quite likely in hot water for for what she has said and posted already - that is 'tantamount' to endorsement.

[for-q-clinton]

Completely disagree...this is pure genius. How long does an endorsement really last? This way she can keep giving the endorsement...and if Newt goes off the deep end she can easily pivot to Santorum.

[Yaelle]

I think the world of Sarah Palin, but I have not appreciated her coyness in her support of Newt. She stated the people of South Carolina should vote for Newt “to keep the primary season going,” which is not the same as saying “so Newt has a better chance of winning.” But at the same time what’s happened in terms of opposition to Newt is exactly what was predictable as the primary season “kept going.”

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I think that Sarah is keeping her options open. Santorum is also in the race and she likes him too as a consistent conservative fighter. It is too early to say how Newt or Rick will end up.