So why not Palin? It could be argued that she needs him, too. Palin has received relatively little attention since her bus tour ended, and will presumably want to play a significant role in the 2012 election. Her supporters, who are set to unveil new ads in Iowa begging her to reconsider a run, won’t likely get what they want — the filing deadline to get on some state ballots has passed.
But coming out early in support of Romney will set her up to make valuable campaign appearances, without looking like a late-coming bandwagoner. Backing the presumptive nominee will also make her look serious and pragmatic, and less the uninformed ideologue that her detractors insist she remains.
Alas, a Mitt and Sarah partnership probably isn’t in the cards. He isn’t likely to chase her approval, and I imagine Palin will get behind a candidate who’s far more incendiary, like Newt Gingrich.
But Mitt Romney has horse sense, as they like to say in the South. He’s a very smart guy. And, bless his heart, he’s run a very disciplined campaign. But if he wants to win the GOP nomination, and appeal not only to moderates but to conservatives in the general election, he needs to pucker up and plant one on someone like Palin. It could just be a match made in heaven.
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