Why Romney and Huckabee Are Leading the Pack

Polls show a bloc of Republicans who like Romney and Huckabee, but dislike Palin and Gingrich.

Andrew Sullivan is puzzled by new polls from PPP that suggest there is a bloc of Republicans who like Romney and Huckabee, but dislike Palin and Gingrich. Since Romney and Huckabee so dislike each other - and since they seem so very different in so many ways - how can this make sense?

Isn't the answer that there are Republicans who recognize that Romney-Huckabee is the party's natural ticket in 2012? They may be business oriented Republicans who prefer Romney or religiously oriented conservatives who prefer Huckabee, but they recognize that the ticket probably needs both. Such Republicans recognize something else: the real divide among the 2012 candidates is that between those who are primarily political figures and those who are primarily media figures.

Businessman Romney and multiply reelected governor Huckabee belong in the first category, along with Mitch Daniels and Tim Pawlenty, while Palin, Gingrich and John Bolton belong in the latter category. The solution is to let everyone do what they do best: Nominate the politicians to run for office, leave the media figures to talk on Fox.