“The betting among Republicans is that Thune remains in the Senate, and the senator himself acknowledges he might stay put…

“‘He’s young, he’s got time,’ said one veteran Republican close to Thune. ‘He does have that Finance Committee assignment. He’s in a good place in leadership, he’s a good messenger for the party, and there’s a very good chance Republicans can get back the majority in the Senate next year…

“Another source close to Thune was candid.

“‘There’s not a lot of desire on his part or anybody’s in the organization to really ramp up or get organized, or talk to a lot of operatives,’ said the source in explaining the silence.”

***
INGRAHAM: Do you think they’ve called a truce on these issues, governor?

DANIELS: No, obviously not. I said I was thinking of them as much as my own allies when I said it.

The major point, though, was something different, and it was just this: I believe…. that the arithmetic of our times says we are headed for Niagara Falls, fiscally. You cannot run any kind of enterprise — private or public — on a self-governing basis as deeply in hawk as we now are and are going to be…

I would like to think that fixing [the debt] and saving our kids future could be a unifying moment for our country and we wouldn’t stop our disagreements or our passionate belief in these other questions, we just sort of mute them for a little while, while we try to come together on the thing that menaces us all.

***
Via Verum Serum, audio from 2008.

***
“Romney, continuing a whirlwind tour of television interviews to promote the new paperback version of his book, also talked up potential presidential rival Sarah Palin.

“‘I believe she is an extraordinarily powerful and effective voice in our party, that she has generated a great deal of support and attention,’ he said of the former Alaska governor. ‘She’d be great in a primary process.’

“When Morgan asked whether Romney could beat Palin, he said, ‘I don’t know the answer to that.’

“The host then asked whether his wife knows the answer.

“‘She probably does,’ Romney replied.”

***
“Romney also had quite a bit to say about Indiana governor Mitch Daniels‘ recent comment that China’s continued growth and rise in power could be a positive thing for the U.S:

“‘First of all their trade policies have been patently unfair. They steal our intellectual property, which is one of our greatest exports. They have artificially manipulated their currency to try and hollow out our manufacturing base and they have made it very difficult for our businesses to be successful in China without having to hand over to Chinese owners trade secrets as well as in many cases ownership. So, they have been a very difficult participant in the world trade effort.'”