newt gingrichSarah Palin endorsed Newt Gingrich last night ... eh, kinda. As in, not exactly. As in, she did, but then again, she didn't. So after the South Carolina debates, Palin said on Sean Hannity that if she were a South Carolinian, she'd vote for Newt "just to keep things going." She managed to not fully support the G.O.P. candidate while at the same time throwing him a little bone. Newt, probably unsure what to do with this half-assed backing, only tweeted his thanks to Sarah Palin, and has said nothing of it since.

Todd Palin, Sarah's First Dude, endorsed Newt about a week ago, so it's clear the Palin family at the very least has a soft spot for the former Speaker. So what's holding Sarah back from throwing her arms wide open and giving Newt a big old, endorse-y hug?

It might have something to do with not wanting to lose ... again. While Newt has an OK chance of winning the nomination, it looks like Romney is the clear front runner. So if Sarah backs Newt and he loses, she'll have associated herself with a loser. It may be somewhat of a tough pill to swallow for the former Alaska Governor whose political prowess has been waining. I mean, after that reality show, what did she really expect.

Anyway, Sarah Palin's relationship with Newt seems a bit wishy-washy and non-committal, two characteristics that no one wants associated with their presidential campaign. Maybe Newt's happy to have Sarah on the sidelines and not in the game right now -- she's such a polarizing individual that perhaps a half-endorsement and a high five from afar is the best thing that Newt could hope for. On the one hand, he gets her supporters behind him, and on the other, she's just distant enough that her haters might not transfer over to him.

Whatever the case, Sarah should be happy because she's getting her way. She wants more debates to, again, "keep things going," and she's going to get more. Whether or not she'll throw some substantial love Newt's way, or do a 180 and support the front-running Romney, is yet to be seen.

What do you think of Sarah Palin's "endorsement" of Newt?

 

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