1.) Gingrich campaign falls apart ahead of schedule — Bad news, Gingrich fan(s). If he’s going to run for president, it looks like he’ll be doing it all by himself. TheDC’s C.J. Ciaramella reports: “Numerous members of Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich’s campaign resigned today, including key managers and the candidate’s entire Iowa campaign team. Gingrich press spokesman Rick Tyler and campaign manager Rob Johnson have resigned, along with strategists and aides in key early primary states. Other sources are reporting that Dave Carney, Gingrich’s top New Hampshire aide, and Sam Dawson have also resigned. One of Gingrich’s national campaign co-chairs, Former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue, announced today that he is moving Tim Pawlenty’s campaign as well. Meanwhile, The Des Moines Register reported that all six of Gingrich’s remaining paid staff in Iowa resigned today, too.” When asked to explain, Gingrich told TheDC’s Jonathan Strong: “I have nothing to say.” That’s what you might call a silver lining. Fred Barnes at the Weekly Standard says, “The problem was the wife.” Gingrich does tend to have a problem with those, doesn’t he?
2.) With Gingrich gone, will Perry pick up the pieces? — One man’s mutiny is another man’s opportunity. Hey, that almost rhymes. Anyway, TheDC’s Matt Lewis writes: “Two separate and reliable sources in Texas tell me serious preparations are being made for Governor Rick Perry, 61, to seek the Republican nomination for president. Dave Carney and Rob Johnson — the former top Perry aides who on Thursday left Newt Gingrich’s floundering campaign — are said to be heading to Texas soon to join in on preparations for the run. I am told this is now ‘ninety percent likely to occur.’ Additionally, Perry allies have begun holding meetings in the state and have been instructed to quietly reach out to contacts in early primary states.” This is good news for lefties everywhere, who really miss having a guy from Texas around to blame for everything bad that happens.
3.) NYT, WaPo need your help destroying Sarah Palin — Yesterday the New York Times and the Washington Post had a simultaneous dumbgasm, putting out parallel calls recruiting their readership to help them sort through the thousands of e-mails from Sarah Palin’s governorship of Alaska that are due to be released today. If you’re wondering when they’ve ever done anything like that before, let alone for someone who holds no public office, good question. Well, this “crowdsourcing” effort seems to be a spur-of-the-moment thing, at least at the NYT. They didn’t even bother to put out an internal memo. TheDC’s Matthew Boyle reports: “The New York Times originally denied making an open call for readers to help ‘investigate’ e-mails from former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, which are set to be released on Friday. ‘The New York Times has not asked for readers to help with an investigation,’ NYT spokeswoman Danielle Rhoades Ha said in an e-mail to The Daily Caller, pointing TheDC to a specific news story about the Palin e-mails’ release. Rhoades Ha appeared to have missed a story her own newspaper published on its website, titled, ‘Help Us Review the Sarah Palin E-mail Records.'” Oh, that! When informed of this public announcement by the very company she’s supposed to be representing, Rhoades Ha followed up with Boyle, saying, “The New York Times will post the emails in a searchable database on nytimes.com and invite readers to do their own search of the documents. The Times has reporters in Alaska to process the 24,000 documents as well as reporters in New York who will review the materials. If readers draw our attention to something interesting, our reporters will review the information before publishing it on our website or the paper.” And if not, they’ll just find some other muck to fling at Palin.
4.) Don’t worry, Anthony Weiner’s wiener, we haven’t forgotten about you — Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) had a relatively good day yesterday, in that the world didn’t see any further self-snapped photos of his engorged penis. He just had to deal with another sexting partner showing up and all his old allies going away. New York Post: “Traci Nobles, 34, of Athens, Ga., is the fifth woman to say she had a steamy online relationship with Weiner in the past — and may have even been looking to possibly meet the randy congressman. ‘I really regret that this was sent to you,’ Nobles told the Las Vegas Sun, after confirming that an unnamed roommate went into her Facebook account, which had been inadvertently left open… In one post, Nobles wrote, ‘Sup sexy,’ to which he responded, ‘Hey sugar.’ In another Facebook posting dated Dec. 15, 2010, this one public, Nobles wrote that she had just donated money to a Democratic Party fundraising committee. ‘Just contributed to ActBlue, Weiner. You and your balls use it wisely,’ she wrote. The following day, Nobles posted for everyone to see: ‘Weiner! Way to stand your ground sexy! Keep it up like I know you can! Heart you, heart your passion, and as always, heart your balls!'” Everybody knows that when a woman says she likes your balls, you send her a picture of them. And hope your wife doesn’t find out. In other Weiner news, Hillary is reportedly “furious” with him for reminding everybody of THAT whole thing, and he’s insisting he won’t resign, even though the only one in his party who will say anything in his defense is Alec Baldwin. And really, what has Weiner got to lose by clinging to power? The only reason he got into politics in the first place was so he could be on TV and get hot chicks to look at him. Success! He’s going to ride this out as long as he can. But if his colleagues do manage to push him out, hey, Olbermann’s hiring. BTW: If you didn’t know Rep. Weiner was a Democrat, how could you guess? No news stories on how his behavior indicates something bad about his party.
5.) Russell Crowe has a plan for your baby’s penis — And it sure doesn’t involve cutting anything off the little feller! It’s been a while since the pugilistic performer has made a movie anybody wanted to see, so Crowe has been spending a lot more time on Twitter decrying the practice of circumcision. Wait, what? The Daily Mail reports: “Russell Crowe caused a Twitter row this morning when he declared circumcision was ‘barbaric and stupid’. The Antipodean actor, 47, risked the wrath of Jews and Muslims when he declared the practice of removing some or all of a male’s foreskin as ‘immoral’… He said: ‘Circumcision is barbaric and stupid. Who are you to correct nature? Is it real that GOD requires a donation of foreskin? Babies are perfect.’ When one Twitter user ‘Hodanismail’ claimed ‘there’s actually a scientific reason for it’, Crowe answered: ‘My friend, “human” science has caused too much damage, don’t be a moron.’ Things took a stronger tone when another user ‘BarackMcBush’ insisted ‘It’s more hygienic and nobody remembers it’. The Tweet then prompted Crowe to blast: ‘Hygienic? Why don’t you sew up your a** then?'” Which brings to mind a riddle: How is a foreskin like Russell Crowe’s hat?
6.) Today’s words of wisdom from Alec Baldwin’s Twitter feed — “@AndrewBreitfart …I can hear you whimpering.” [Editor’s note: That’s not a typo. Alec Baldwin is witty.]
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