There is NO QUESTION Murdoch is doing this to help Romney just as he’s clearly directed anyone on Fox News who isn’t powerful enough to set their own agenda to support Romney (which for the last month meant attacking Newt). Dick Morris underlined how this strategy has been used in other primaries, where the nominal frontrunner lays off the fringe candidate so he can knock out the serious competitor in the early races, then knock out that whole weakened field in the bigger states after IA and NH. Rick Santorum and Ron Paul simply steal votes away from candidates like Newt (and maybe Perry but it’s a longshot) who can win.