Me and Newt

By Michael J.W. Stickings

I rarely find myself in agreement with Newt Gingrich, but I think he's right about Palin's future in the GOP:

I think that she is going to be a significant player. But she's going to be one of 20 or 30 significant players. She's not going to be the de facto leader.

What Palin has going for her is that the Republican presidential field, such as it stands now, is extremely weak, with contenders who are too flawed (Romney), too narrow (Huckabee), or too raw (Jindal). (Though others, currently not on the radar, will no doubt emerge.) In addition, she has the fortune, not all of it good, of having the Kristolian neocon establishment behind her, not to mention much of the right-wing conservative establishment as well.

Still, massive book deal notwithstanding, I suspect the hype will (continue to) fade. She'll be a player in 2012, to be sure, but she likely won't be the nominee.