Video: Did Sarah Palin Endorse Newt?

Todd Palin endorsed Newt Gingrich last week, which gives people even more reason to think Sarah Palin did the same thing while appearing on Hannity's television show last night. So, did she endorse Newt?

Not really. If you listen to what she's saying here, it has more to do with wanting to keep Romney from pulling away than it does supporting Gingrich. Pundits far and wide are making the claim that if Romney wins in South Carolina, the nomination is his. If that's true, he can start tacking toward the left, which is where he's most comfortable.

What Palin is saying here is that South Carolinians who are undecided should vote for Gingrich, not because he's necessarily the best candidate but because it will buy the nation more time to shop.

There are a couple of things we CAN glean from Palin's comments here, though. First, I think it's safe to say that she's not much of a Romney fan. Second, she probably sees Newt as being more electable than Santorum. Then again, Newt is polling ahead of Santorum in South Carolina, so her motives may be 100% tactical in nature - keep the primaries going.

If you extrapolate this strategy to Virginia, where Paul and Romney will be the only two on the ballot, supporters of Gingrich and Santorum would be best served by voting for Paul in that state. It would keep Romney in check while keeping the not-Romney candidates in the race.

There are three factions in the Republican race right now - the establishment candidate (Romney), the libertarian candidate (Paul), and the anti-establishment candidate (Gingrich, Santorum, Perry).

Palin actually makes a good argument for South Carolinians who support Santorum or Perry to vote for Gingrich. If Romney wins this Saturday's primary, all three men could essentially be gone. If Gingrich wins, Santorum may still be alive (Perry will likely exit on Sunday either way).

Via Daily Caller: