Newt Gingrich and Jon Huntsman definitely have a thing going on. The quintessential question is whether this affair will last, and become a long-term marriage of convenience. This pair may be simpatico in some very important ways, particularly foreign affairs regarding Israel, Iran and China. After all, Huntsman is the bastion of marriage fidelity, a devout Mormon and family man. And we all know that Newt is not great on fidelity in life or politics even though he just took the proverbial "pledge."
Remember, he whispered sweet nothings in Mitt's ear for months, and even convinced Michele Bachmann that they were inseparable. But there can only be one victor for the nomination so in Newt's world, Mitt is finished. Under the bus he goes, folks, as the Newt show careens down the road to the nomination spewing very personal attacks on the Romney campaign. And so it goes, as attack and counterattack ensue between these two in New Hampshire.
Maybe dear Jon is just what Newt needs to temper his mercurial nature, and offer the stability necessary to compete against President Obama. That's a very dangerous thought because of Huntsman's appeal to fringe Democrats and Independents. Yet, one only had to witness the gravitas between this new duo in the New Hampshire debate to grasp there was something really brewing. Hmmm, maybe this explains Huntsman side-stepping the climate change issue last week at the Heritage Foundation. In fact, maybe this courtship started much earlier than we thought with the kind historian promising Tiffany goodies. Now if Huntsman just modified a few of his policy positions -- oh, please. It causes one to wonder what's next on Jon's list, or rather, shall we say, Newt's list. Maybe Jon will do an about face on his balanced and thoughtful approach to the Middle East, or even worse, China. In Newt's world, this would be a true marriage of convenience with a very smart, yet ambitious and malleable running mate. Time will tell if the former governor can follow the directives, and further if Newt will keep his pledge of fidelity at least in politics.