National Review Writers Dissent on Editors' Stealth Mitt Romney Endorsement

William Jacobson has this, "One brave soul at National Review stands up for Newt." And from Pundette, "Andy McCarthy dissents." Linked at the latter's is Jonah Goldberg The Editorial — My Take, " and Mark Steyn, "Include Me Out."

 Here's Steyn on Bachmann:

Congresswoman Bachmann has fought a principled, conservative campaign with only one significant misstep — her overreach on the Gardasil business. Again, that shouldn’t be a disqualification. Nor should having more chiefs of staff than she has foster children (I speak as a guy who believes citizen-legislators shouldn’t have chiefs of staff, anyway). To be sexist about it, President Bachmann at her best would be another Thatcher and at her worst another Merkel — and Chancellor Merkel currently presides over the least worst Western economy. What’s not to like? Go, Michele!

I like it!

BONUS: Linkmaster Smith links to my essay from yesterday the state of the race: "Sean Hannity Flummoxed By Michelle Malkin."

The Generic Republican Will Beat Obama

Reliapundit and I are having a friendly exchange on our favorite GOP candidates. He's fully on board for Romney. I like Romney too, especially for the electability argument. I don't care for Newt but I'd obviously vote for him enthusiastically over the Usurper. I think around the time of the Horowitz West Coast Retreat I mentioned that Michele Bachmann was my favorite candidate and I was going to support her so long as Sarah Palin stayed out of the race. And I haven't changed my positions. I'm just not making that big of a deal out of it. I think the generic Republican will beat Obama, with the exception of Ron Paul. And apparently, Rush Limbaugh thinks so too. And Michelle Malkin responds:

Michele Bachmann Fired Up After Sioux City Debate: Bus Tour to Rekindle Campaign as Iowa Caucuses Near

Dave Wiegel discusses Michele Bachmann's thrashing of Ron Paul, "Was this the Moment That Ron Paul Lost Iowa?" And here's the video:

And I posted the video of Bachmann hammering Speaker Gingrich already. And she was on CNN earlier this afternoon. Responding to Wolf Blitzer, Bachmann said that Gingrich was "memory challenged" regarding Bachmann's command of the facts. Actually, she is a bit off at times, but I'm getting a kick out of her aggressive new approach ahead of the caucuses. The Washington Post has more on that, "Hoping for a caucus comeback, Michele Bachmann sets out on a bus tour of Iowa’s 99 counties":

ORANGE CITY, Iowa — Republican presidential contender Michele Bachmann said she did not want “to trash anyone” on Friday and then called her leading rivals ideologically unfit to win the nomination as she began a bus tour she hopes will yield a caucus comeback.

The Minnesota congresswoman is lagging in the polls and trying to recapture the momentum she lost since summer. She set out on a 99-county bus tour that ferried her from restaurants to catering companies, from a sports bar to a bakery.

“Now is our chance for redemption,” Bachmann told supporters packed into The Dutch Bakery to hear her final sales pitch ahead of the Jan. 3 caucuses.

“I’m not here to trash anyone,” she said — and then criticized the two men leading the GOP race.

“Mitt Romney is the only governor in history of the United States to put into place socialized medicine,” she said.

On Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker who has seen a surge in recent weeks, she said: “Newt has been backing the individual health care mandate for 20 years.”
“I am the only consistent constitutional conservative. I’m not a convenient conservative,” Bachmann told reporters in Sioux City.

Well, trashing is good. Recall she graciously poured water for her opponents previously. Now's the time to rope 'em in!

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley Endorses Mitt Romney

Well, what's amazing is Nikki Haley is touted as a "tea party favorite."

But Michelle Malkin calls Romney a progressive at the video. She calls Gingrich a progressive as well. It's an excellent discussion, and badly needed. Sean Hannity's a little flummoxed with Michelle. Should the grassroots be lining up behind Gov. Haley for a Romney endorsement? It's all about beating Obama, right?

Well, don't blame me. I'm backing Michele Bachmann.

See Tina Korbe, "South Carolina Tea Party darling Nikki Haley endorses and records robocall for Mitt Romney" (via Memeorandum).

Candidates Spar in Last GOP Debate of the Year

The New York Times has a report, "Gingrich Parries With Challengers in Final Debate Before Iowa Caucuses" (via Memeorandum):

From the start, the candidates faced a series of questions on their biggest vulnerabilities, a tough, year-end parting gift from a network that has a lineup of sympathetic opinion hosts, but whose news anchors have pulled no punches on Republican candidates in debates and interviews. The race has played out, to a large degree, on Fox News.

Mr. Gingrich called “laughable” the accusation this week from Mr. Romney that he is an “unreliable conservative.” But, facing some questions about his consistency, he added, “I do change things when conditions change,” adding, however, that beating Mr. Obama is “a very large change.”

Representative Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, whose candidacy depends on a comeback in the Iowa caucuses, did not hold back against Mr. Gingrich. She called it “shocking” that he would accept $1.6 million to advise the government-owned mortgage giant Freddie Mac.

“That is something that our nominee cannot stand for,” Mrs. Bachmann said.

More at that top link.

Also at Los Angeles Times, "Newt Gingrich under fire in final GOP debate before Iowa vote."

Plus, a neat post at Legal Insurrection, "Sioux City Debate Tweets of Night."

RELATED: At National Journal, "Previewing Gingrich's Down Escalator."

Newt Gingrich Hasn't Mastered Campaign Fundamentals

From Charlie Cook, at National Journal, "Not Sold on Newt":

The national and state polls are pretty clear: Newt Gingrich has moved into the top position for the Republican presidential nomination. Other candidates have surged in the past several months, first Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, then Texas Gov. Rick Perry, and, more recently, former Godfather’s Pizza CEO Herman Cain. But over the past week or so, even some Republican operatives who do not support Gingrich are starting to take seriously the possibility that his lead will last. Holding a 15-point advantage in the new Gallup national tracking poll, as well as leads in multiple polls in Iowa, South Carolina, and other key states, Gingrich has clearly become a force.

Even after stipulating that the former House speaker is a very smart guy with more ideas than any three politicians you will ever find, I’m still having trouble wrapping my brain around the possibility that he will be the GOP nominee. To accept that scenario, you have to buy the idea that the laws of political gravity have been suspended this year, that things that normally matter a lot aren’t going to matter this year—or, to borrow a title from a popular book, This Time Is Different.

We are asked to believe that having campaign money isn’t important. That campaign organization and infrastructure don’t matter, even in a fight for delegates spread across 50 states. That it’s OK for the entire campaign brain trust of the apparent front-runner to reside under one head of hair and between one set of ears. That it’s feasible for one person to not only devise but also implement a national strategy and tactical plans for every state.

Then we are asked to believe that Republicans, specifically conservatives, are going to ignore some of the more problematic aspects of Gingrich’s background and policy positions. I personally like and respect Gingrich a great deal, and he has always been nice to me and generous with his time, so I won’t rehash all of his potential problems among conservatives. Let’s just take one—sitting on a love seat with the reviled Nancy Pelosi talking about climate change, in a 2008 ad that he was asked to do by former Vice President Al Gore, another Democrat not held in exceedingly high regard among Republicans. How is that appearance going to look when an opponent cuts it up and puts it into an ad aired on Fox? A large closet, if not a whole warehouse, of opposition research on Gingrich is being readied and is just now starting to be unloaded. This material is arguably much richer than anything ever assembled against any other candidate. After all, Gingrich has been in the political arena for a very long time and has had far more than his share of detractors willing to share their grievances...

Oh boy, that does present some problems, doesn't it. I think that Ron Paul ad from last week is just the tip of the iceberg. But continue reading here.

Newt Gingrich Often Strayed from Conservative Beliefs

At Los Angeles Times, "Gingrich's record belies his conservative image":

For months, many Republicans have cast about for an alternative to Mitt Romney, decrying him as insufficiently conservative. Now they appear to have settled on a new front-runner — Newt Gingrich — who is no more conservative than Romney.

Both men have parted company with the party's most active voters on many of the same issues. Both backed requiring individuals to purchase healthcare insurance. Both supported the Wall Street bailout known as TARP and government subsidies for ethanol production.

Both agreed that human activity is contributing to climate change (though each has backtracked in recent months). In the past, both supported trading systems designed to cap carbon emissions. Gingrich has favored research using stem cells from fertility clinics, putting him to the left of Romney on that issue.

This year, Gingrich undercut his own candidacy by criticizing a House GOP plan to restructure Medicare as "right-wing social engineering" — though he pushed for a similar plan when he was House speaker in the mid-1990s. But unlike Romney, who supports moving to Medicare vouchers, Gingrich now favors letting seniors remain in the current system, a stance that puts him more in line with Democrats.

For some GOP voters it may come down to image: Gingrich, who boasts that he is more conservative than Romney, forged his by leading a partisan revolt in 1994 that brought Republicans to power in the House of Representatives for the first time in 40 years. And some Republicans have chosen to forgive his ideological straying because they appreciate his lacerating tone, far more brittle than Romney's.

Like other longtime politicians, Gingrich, 68, has evolved considerably over the years, shifting rightward with his party. He started out as a liberal Republican, working for Nelson Rockefeller's 1968 presidential campaign against Richard Nixon (there were few Republicans of any stripe in the South at the time, and Gingrich, who had recently moved to Louisiana, filled a void in the Rockefeller campaign there). His shift has caused some awkwardness: Just this week, Gingrich said in a CNN interview that he regretted his 1979 vote to create the federal Department of Education, a target for elimination by many conservatives....

His rivals for the GOP nomination argue that Gingrich's record doesn't match his conservative image. Rep. Ron Paul, after cataloging what he deemed to be repeated betrayals by Gingrich and Romney, said that there's "not a dime's worth of difference" between the two men. Rep. Michele Bachmann calls them "the great pretenders."

The trailing candidates are likely to amplify their critiques in a televised debate Saturday night, when Gingrich will for the first time defend his position as the clear GOP front-runner.

The Case for Michele Bachmann

From Daren Jonescu, at Canada Free Press:

"Michele Bachmann is the clearest conservative voice in the primaries. She is the most legitimate representative of the Tea Party in this process."

Hey, I can dig it.

And yes, it is pretty freakin' sick for a lesbian parent to send her 8 year-old boy up to Congresswomen Bachmann to say "my mommy doesn't need any fixin'." But the gay rights extremists see this as a great chance to get some hate in against the EVIL!!! conservatives: "Watch: Michele Bachmann On Glenn Beck Calls 8 Year Old Boy's Act 'Shameless'."

Michele Bachmann: Occupy Movement Wants Others to 'Pay For Their Stuff'

CNN has the full story, "Bachmann: Tea Party will ‘come home’ to my campaign."

But I like this part, starting just before 6:00 minutes:

The strength is not with Occupy Wall Street. If you go to the essence of what Occupy Wall Street stands for, it's having other people pay for their stuff.

Michele Bachmann Endures Increasing Sexist Attacks on Campaign Trail

I guess Evan McMorris-Santoro's oppressed-women radar perked up after noticing the start of last weekend's GOP candidate forum with Frank Luntz. Michele Bachmann couldn't even be gracious enough to pour water for her opponents without being smeared as a "water-carrier." And the comments at the post are what you'd expect from the demonic commie-progressives at TPM, "Michele Bachmann Carries Her Opponents’ Water…Literally"

Then there's the "lying bitch" attack on the Jimmy Fallon show, at The Frisky, "Michele Bachmann Demands Apology For “Lyin’ Ass Bitch” Incident On Jimmy Fallon." And New York Times, "NBC Expresses Regret to Bachmann Over Introduction on Fallon Show."

And now progressive media are going after Representative Bachmann's cosmetics? At Huffington Post, "Michele Bachmann Wears Tons of Makeup For CNN Debate," and London's Daily Mail, "Michele Bachmann brings out the war paint as she cakes on the make-up for GOP debate."

Bachmann was subject to unhinged misogyny in August when Newsweek published the "Queen of Rage" cover photo: "The Conservative Crazy Eyes Cliche & Other Stupid MSM Photo Tricks." This stuff is par or the course for conservative women. And had right-leaning outlets slammed First Lady Michelle Obama or Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the same fashion, all hell would have broken loose across the progresso-sphere.

Newt Gingrich Courts Conservative Backlash on Immigration

At New York Times, "Gingrich Risks Conservative Outrage on Immigration":

Did Newt Gingrich have a “heartless” moment on Tuesday night?

In a September debate, Rick Perry, the governor of Texas, drew a furious response from conservatives in his party when he said critics of in-state tuition for illegal immigrants “did not have a heart.” The response halted Mr. Perry’s momentum amid charges from rivals that he was too soft on the issue of immigration for the party faithful.

Now, Mr. Gingrich — the newest leader in the national polls — has embraced a similar apostasy: the idea that the country should find a way to make many millions of illegal immigrants legal.

“There’s a way to ultimately end up with a country where there’s no more illegality, but you haven’t automatically given amnesty to anyone,” Mr. Gingrich said, citing a program from the Vernon K. Krieble Foundation.

That was enough for Mr. Gingrich’s rivals to pounce. Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, refused to allow Mr. Gingrich to claim that his suggestion was different than amnesty.

“If people who come here illegally are going to get to stay illegally for the rest of their life, that’s going to only encourage more people to come here illegally,” Mr. Romney said.

Representative Michele Bachmann of Minnesota agreed with Mr. Romney. “I don’t agree that you would make 11 million workers legal, because that in effect is amnesty,” she said.

Also, at The Hill, "Rep. King denounces Gingrich immigration plan as 'amnesty'." (Via Memeorandum.) And check AoSHQ, "Gingrich's Daft Immigration 'Solution'."

PREVIOUSLY: "Newt Goes All 'Dede Scozzafava' on Immigration!"

BONUS: Jeff Goldstein's post from last night, "Debate thoughts, nano edition."

Bachmann Decries 'Bailout Socialism'

At Los Angeles Times, "Michele Bachmann says Bush, GOP embraced 'bailout socialism'."

Reporting from Urbandale, Iowa— Michele Bachmann goes after not only Democrats but also fellow Republicans in her new book, accusing former President George W. Bush and her GOP colleagues in Congress of failing to stay true to conservative, free-market principles when they supported the $700-billion Wall Street bailout.

"The Bush administration … was embracing a kind of 'bailout socialism,' " wrote the Minnesota congresswoman, who is running for the GOP presidential nomination. "It was painful to find out John McCain too favored the TARP bailout. … Here was no ‘maverick’ moment. The same disappointing stance was taken by the Republican leadership in the House."

"I knew there was no way I could vote for it, because I couldn’t find authority for it in the Constitution,” Bachmann continued. “As a constitutional conservative, I put principle over party."

Bachmann Says CBS News E-Mail Shows Bias

Well, perhaps the MFM isn't blowing off Bachmann after all.

At New York Times, "A Finger Slips, and the Bachmann Camp Pounces":

It is not exactly a state secret that the news media tend to lavish more coverage on perceived front-runners in presidential campaigns.

But CBS News’s political director, John Dickerson, made the mistake of saying basically that in an e-mail and accidentally sending it to the campaign of Representative Michele Bachmann.

In a slip of the finger that quickly ignited a furor among Mrs. Bachmann’s supporters, Mr. Dickerson e-mailed his colleagues that he would prefer to “get someone else” other than the Minnesota congresswoman for an online show after the CBS News/National Journal debate on Saturday night. The e-mail said that Mrs. Bachmann was “not going to get many questions” in the debate and that “she’s nearly off the charts” — an apparent reference to her low standing in many polls.

The problem was that Mrs. Bachmann’s communications director was copied in on the e-mail, and Mr. Dickerson hit “reply to all.” Oops.

The incident highlighted the tricky calculus media organizations must engage in when deciding which candidates to pay attention to, and which not, as they factor in criteria like standing in the polls, fund-raising and more nebulous things like momentum.

Aides to Mrs. Bachmann, who is polling in the single digits, seized on the e-mail as evidence of liberal bias by CBS News and used the episode to rally its supporters against a favorite Republican foe: the mainstream media.

Is Bachmann whining? Althouse claimed she was acting like a progressive. Actually, it see it more like a gimme. She got an opening from the blasted e-mail and she took it. And it's buying her some consideration at the New York Times, of all places, not to mention the Los Angeles Times, "Michele Bachmann sees bias in stray email."

Presidential Debates Take Toll on GOP

Michele Bachmann gave a commanding performance at the Spartanburg debate, although she was off a bit in her comparison between China and the Great Society:

If that's a gaffe, it didn't get much coverage, perhaps because insiders have written off Bachmann's campaign. She's not pleased with the situation, of course, and she sounded off about the biased moderating by the debate panel. That said, I've already discounted the debates as largely overload and spectacle, similar to the thesis at this report from The Hill, "Debates take toll on Republican field." The most important debates are those for the general election. The primary debates are useful, but they seem like an inconvenience almost, with so many of them taking place. Of course, candidates like debates because they provide "earned media coverage," especially after a strong performance. Newt Gingrich is already something of the last man standing --- next to Mitt Romney at least --- and his masterly performance in South Carolina will be touted as confirming his new-found top-tier credentials.

But who wins? Do primary voters really benefit from all of this? Ideologues aren't pleased when their preferred candidates flub or when they're slighted by the MFM. (I wish Bachmann was still in the top tier, for instance, so there's my two cents.) And 0f course, it's not GOP activists who'll be deciding the election next year, and so that helps explain this sense that Mitt Romney will be the one. But the Romney juggernaut is dispiriting for hardcore conservatives. See Nice Deb, for example, "Is Conservatism Doomed In 2012?" I like Mitt Romney personally, but the campaign has shown again that he's simply putty when put up against hard choices. His finger is always to the wind, and despite the tough talk on Iran at the debate, would a President Romney waffle on international challenges because public opinion polls showed muted support for American action overseas? You betcha! Still, Romney appears seasoned on the trail, and he's honed a message of business competence domestically and support for American exceptionalism abroad. I like that. But his waffling is the Achilles Heel, and he's extremely vulnerable to the left's institutional character assassination machine. Nothing will be out of bounds. Romney's Mormonism? Campaign 2012 will make the left's attack on religion and Proposition 8 look like a picnic. RomneyCare? Well, it's going to be a factor, which neutralizes the potency of healthcare as a general election issue. I don't even know what other things he'll be hit with, but hit he'll be. I guess the consolation is that Romney's a fighter. He's tough and he'll stand up for his values. And of course, Obama's poll numbers are still down in the sewer, and we're still not expecting any robust GDP growth for some time. All of that makes it a tightly contested race, should it be Obama vs. Romney. And considering how reviled are the Democrats among conservatives, I imagine the right will close ranks around a Romney candidacy soon enough. It's going to be huge.

Michele Bachmann Dominates CBS News/National Journal Debate

Congresswoman Michele Bachmann gave a dominating performance in tonight's GOP debate in South Carolina. She displayed a mastery of details and a willingness to go after both President Obama and her GOP opponents, especially Congressman Ron Paul. Particularly impressive was Bachmann's forthright defense of the use of force in American foreign policy. She articulated a strong defense of America's conduct of the war on terror, even defending targeted killings under this administration. And she did not waver in stating her readiness to authorize enhanced interrogations for captured enemy combatants in the field.

Bachmann's performance was on par with Speaker Newt Gingrich's, the latter evincing his usual mastery of policy details. And Bachmann's grasp of policy nuances, for example in discussion of Pakistan, far surpassed that of Governor Rick Perry, who struggled to recover from his brain freeze from earlier this week. And Bachmann performed much better on Pakistan and the war in Afghanistan than did putative frontrunner Mitt Romney.

I'll update with video as it becomes available. Herman Cain appeared to struggle and Rick Santorum appeared competent but on the periphery of the debate. Jon Huntsman sounded like the diplomat he is, and is even further to the sidelines than Santorum.

Overall, Michele Bachmann's performance stood out as the breakout display that she needed to regain some traction in the race. A positive spin among media pundits could help Bachmann's campaign, which has appeared on the ropes since her intemperate Gardasil comments back in September.

Expect updates.

7:00pm PST: Live blogging at Maggie's Notebook and The Other McCain, "Greetings From Spartanburg! REPUBLICAN DEBATE ON CBS --- UPDATE: 'No Runs, No Hits, No Errors'."

7:40pm PST: At National Journal, "Perry's Rambling Remarks on China: China Should Change Its 'Virtues' -- VIDEO."

7:50pm PST: At HotAir Pundit:

The audio at the clip goes out at the end, which might be related to problems with the live feed. See Gateway Pundit, "Fail. CBS Airs Online GOP Debate – Loses Live Internet Feed."

8:30pm PST: At The Right Scoop, "Rick Perry cleverly jokes about gaffe from last debate."

And at Hot Air, "Video: Gingrich schools Pelley on “rule of law” on terrorists":

Bachmann's USS Yorktown Speech Lays Out Foreign Policy Doctrine

At MinnPost, "Bachmann Doctrine: Her foreign policy views":

WASHINGTON — When protesters interrupted her speech on the USS Yorktown in South Carolina Thursday, Michele Bachmann was in the middle of what her campaign had deemed a major address on the Minnesota congresswoman’s foreign policy positions.

Bachmann, like the other Republicans looking for their party’s presidential nomination, has been outlining bits and pieces of her foreign policy goals throughout the first five months of her campaign. But the race so far has been largely focused on economic issues, and the candidates have generally tiptoed around foreign policy up to now.

In her speech Bachmann essentially laid out a tried and true conservative foreign policy agenda, with the notable caveat that she’s looking to cut defense spending along the way. The speech was a way for her to ease into the foreign policy arena while keeping some of the focus on the issues she’s run on up to now.

Here are the basic topics Bachmann addressed (quotations come from the prepared text of her speech, from which she frequently deviated) and, if they’ve come at any of the recent Republican debates, what other candidates have said on the same issue.

There is, of course, more nuance to each candidate’s positions than what is presented here; consider this a primer for Saturday night’s foreign policy debate in South Carolina.

RTWT.

The text is here: "Keeping America Free, Safe and Sovereign: Michele Bachmann’s address aboard the U.S.S. Yorktown, November 10, 2011."

Also, at The Shark Tank, "Michele Bachmann Supports Enhanced Interrogation Techniques."

Michele Bachmann Slams Occupy Protesters as 'Ignorant and Disrespectful'

At CBS News, "Bachmann calls Occupy Wall Street protesters 'ignorant and disrespectful'."

"If they understood the heavy price that was paid for that 1st Amendment right, they'd be much more respectful. Because I was surrounded by heroes yesterday on the USS Yorktown who paid a big price for them, and they're just ignorant, that's all. They're ignorant and they were disrespectful, but someday hopefully they'll come to know the price that was paid for them."

Michele Bachmann is a generally cheerful woman. But you can see how deeply pissed she is at the videos. What's interesting to me is actually how many of those protesters stood up and heckled. That's a security issue. I wonder if they did a bag check before admitting guests to the event. Occupy Portland has activists throwing Molotovs, so who knows?

Also at Reuters, "South Carolina protesters disrupt Michele Bachmann speech."

Republicans Believe Romney Most Likely to Win Nomination

At Gallup (via Memeorandum):

Republicans are most likely to predict that Mitt Romney will be their party's 2012 presidential nominee. The 45% who believe Romney will win the nomination exceeds the combined 35% who think any other candidate will win, including 13% who say Herman Cain and 9% who say Rick Perry.

Keep reading.

Romney has a lot of weaknesses as a potential GOP frontrunner, compared to previous candidates for the nomination.

RELATED: At Atlas Shrugs, "We Must Not Choose Obama Lite: Courageous Foreign Policy Leadership Must Define GOP Nominee":

The struggle for the nomination is now. And I am so sick and tired of the enemedia and the subversive left destroying our most effective leaders on the right in their attempt to make them unelectable, all the while exalting vacuous vassals like Obama. They tried to do it to Reagan. They destroyed George W. Bush. They think they have done it to Sarah Palin, and now they are working on doing it to Herman Cain.

Not so fast, destroyers.

If they think they are going to pick our candidate this time (as they did with McCain in ‘08), they are in for a very rude surprise. Not. This. Time. We cannot let our domestic enemies define our leaders. We cannot let our domestic enemies destroy our most effective voices on the right. You must have seen by now that the more rational, the more effective, the more patriotic a Republican leader is, the more he or she is marginalized, ridiculed, destroyed.

This must stop, and we must stop it. The perspective and agenda that the chattering class, the media elites and their tools, are advancing will shatter in the face of reality.

Pamela highlights Michele Bachmann and expects her to improve in the polls. I'm not so sure, although I wish it were so.

More at Memeorandum.

Michele Bachmann Slams 'Stealth Attack' by Rick Perry Supporters

She really unloads at the interview. I was watching this afternoon. Bachmann is especially riled by folks trashing her tea party creds.

At CNN, "TRENDING: Bachmann accuses Perry camp of 'stealth' political attack" (via ioic).

Jennifer Rubin Profiled at Politico

I don't read her that much, although I'm not hostile to Rubin as are some blog colleagues on the right. Dan Riehl and I occasionally go back and forth about Rubin on Twitter.

See "Rick Perry's worst nightmare: Jennifer Rubin."

Rubin describes herself as a mainstream conservative, if not a a movement loyalist.“I don’t take a check-the-box, down-the-line view of conservatism. I think on foreign policy and economics I’m very much a Reagan conservative,” she said.

But many conservative bloggers don’t view her as one of them.

“I don’t have time to waste bytes on someone not in the conservative movement,” RedState’s Erick Erickson, who broke with Rubin over her support for the release of Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard, told POLITICO when asked about her in an email.

Dan Riehl, another conservative blogger, described her as an “establishment Republican” and a “neocon” and said he suspected the Post uses her as a kind of foil, to define the rightward limit of the debate as relatively close to the center.

“She’s kind of like [center-right New York Times columnist] Ross Douthat in lipstick, assuming he doesn’t wear any,” Riehl said. “I guess she couldn’t get a job with Romney so she stayed with The Washington Post.”

(In fact, the Post has recently been courting other opinion writers on the right, in particular former Jesse Helms spokesman and Bush speechwriter Marc Thiessen, the leading defender of former Vice President Dick Cheney and the harsh interrogation he championed.)

But Rubin, who has never shied from a fight, says that her role is different from conservative bloggers: She’s commenting on the right, not defending it.

Lately I'm "commenting on the right" as well, since I haven't settled on a pick for the nomination, or at least not yet, since Michele Bachmann's numbers took a dive.

More later ...