Why Newt is good for the GOP

I thought long and hard about this blog title. It could take on many meanings. But more than any other, I believe Newt Gingrich's decision to remain in the primary race until the bitter end is good for the party because it will keep Mitt Romney battle-ready. Think about it. We saw just a little bit of a threat from Newt in South Carolina (many would call that a MAJOR threat!), and look at how the Romney machine mobilized. It was quite impressive. And if you weren't paying attention, you can be sure the Obama campaign in Chicago was.

One of Romney's closest advisers — former Bush 41 political director Ron Kaufman — used to ask any candidate who ever considered running for office, "Do you have a primary opponent?" If the candidate answered, "No,” the story goes, he would tell them, "Well, see if you can get one ... It only makes you tougher for your general-election opponent."

In a perfect world, every candidate would be ready for his/her general-election opponent from day one, but the reality is they're often not. I don't believe Mitt is quite ready for the bump-and-run, smash-mouth political show he will face with President Obama. But he will be. And Newt will help him steel his resolve, hone his message, and present his superior argument to the American voter that the four-year debacle we called Obama's presidency should end.

Embrace these few weeks, my friends. If past is prologue, the challengers nipping at Gov. Romney's heels will forge him in the fires of mischaracterizations and misrepresentations — something he can expect in hellacious amounts from Obama.