His campaign was so jacked about this that they sent out a press release yesterday touting a mysterious “major announcement” to come this morning in Florida. I spent 20 minutes on Twitter at the time tracking buzz that Jeb Bush might shock the world by backing Huntsman early, thereby lending him instant credibility in Florida and, by extension, New Hampshire. And if not Jeb, then at the very least, I figured, the mystery endorser had to be Charlie Crist. He’s perfectly matched to Huntsman politically and he is, after all, a former governor, which carries sway in-state even if you and I spit at the mention of his name. Whoever it was, it had to be someone big, if only because teasing political junkies with the thought of a Jeb endorsement would guarantee a backlash today if the mystery endorser didn’t match Jeb’s stature. It had to be.

But no.

Coming soon, presumably: The coveted Frank Sinatra Jr. endorsement.

With cellar-dwelling poll numbers and a campaign shake-up to boot, Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman plans a “major announcement” on Wednesday morning in South Florida: The endorsement of Jeb Bush Jr.

His campaign said Bush Jr. will serve as national co-chair of GenH, with the mission to reach out to young people. Also joining the campaign is Republican political strategist Ana Navarro, of Miami. Her title: National Hispanic Chairperson…

Chances are the endorsements won’t do much – in part because endorsements seldom make much of a difference.

But that’s especially true in the case of Huntsman, who has weathered a staff shakeup that leaves the campaign with more negative press clips than momentum.

He’s been sufficiently hapless and damaged thus far that I feel guilty kicking him for this, like one of those guys taking stuff out of that British kid’s backpack. But c’mon — Jeb Jr.? Reminds me of an old bit Robert Wuhl used to do about a charity concert he went to in New Jersey that promised an appearance from a “very special guest.” That had to mean Springsteen, right? Or at least Bon Jovi? No: It was Yoko Ono. Jeb Jr.’s not that bad, but he was already associated with the campaign and his 2008 endorsement of, er, Rudy Giuliani didn’t do much for Rudy in-state since it didn’t guarantee that his pop would follow suit. Which is to say, in no sense is this a “major announcement” unless you’re polling at two percent and pretty much resigned to it for the foreseeable future. He’d better make quite an impression tomorrow night.

Says Matt Lewis, “I can barely tolerate the real politicians at this point. I have zero tolerance for their ‘lucky sperm’ offspring.” Exit question: Is Huntsman going to make the cut for DeMint’s forum in South Carolina on the 22nd? Only candidates polling above five percent in the RCP average are invited. Actually, here’s a better question: Is Pawlenty going to make the cut?