From the ’12 shelves

A few of my favorite items of interest from the slow-starting but
thoroughly entertaining 2012 GOP presidential field this week:

1)
Newt Gingrich said he is only prepared to campaign for the Republican
presidential nomination because he stepped down as Speaker of the House
in 1999 and spent all these years relaxing. At an event in Milwaukee,
Gingrich said, “I’ve had a chance to renew my energy and thoughts,”
according to the Milwaukee
Journal Sentinel.

{mosads}No matter that Gingrich’s departure
from Congress was a result of the shameful revelation he was carrying on
an extramarital affair with a young staffer, after becoming a prominent
voice against President Clinton during his impeachment. Recharging,
along with the acquisition of wisdom that comes with maturing, was
clearly what readied Newt for his moment.

2) Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, who is stepping down at the end of this month as President Obama’s ambassador to China to potentially begin a presidential campaign, made more than a few Republicans uncomfortable. For starters, he agreed to work for the Obama administration. Then he decided to leave to possibly challenge the man who hired him. Makes you wonder what he is capable of. But Huntsman is also considered a dreaded “moderate” on environmental and gay-rights issues and is therefore considered a non-starter by many conservative activists who hold sway in the GOP primary contest. He is driving former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-Mass.) nuts because he is threatening, as a fellow Mormon, to soak up much sought after money from Mormon donors. And now, having hired key alumni from Sen. John McCain’s political universe, he is potentially a new thorn in the newly uber-conservative McCain’s side. When asked about Huntsman, McCain said he is “a fine man,” and would make a good candidate “if he chooses to run.” Wonder if he had that familiar too-tight-shoes look on his face when he said it. Wait until the Tea Party finds out.

3) In the annals of explanations for Social Security’s troubles, former Sen. Rick Santorum’s (R-Pa.) from this week is quite original. “The reason Social Security is in big trouble is we don’t have enough workers to support the retirees. Well, a third of all the young people in America are not in America today because of abortion, because one in three pregnancies end in abortion.”

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