The Florida primary approaches

On Sunday I fly to DC to do interviews and observation and the Washington Post and Politico as they cover Tuesday's primary in Florida. Looking forward to the experience; not looking forward to the cold. :)

In the meantime, here's a random collection of my latest favorite observations about state of the Republican nominating race:

Re. last night's debate, some consensus that it was a Newt "no-show": "the Gingrich who lit up a pair of moderators last week in South Carolina on his way to a thumping win didn’t show up here Thursday evening."

Politico this morning: "In soliciting support on Capitol Hill, Romney has sought to highlight his potential reliability as a Republican nominee. At a closed-door meeting with GOP lawmakers last year, Romney offered this promise to the more than 60 members who came to hear him. 'I won't embarrass you,' he said."

David Brooks in the New York Times: "...it’s an odd thing when a leading Republican candidate has the children of his first wife attacking his second wife for things she said about his third wife and this candidate is the one getting social conservative support."

Tim Egan, also in the Times: "After inventing, and then perfecting, the modern politics of personal destruction, Gingrich has decided now to bank on the dark fears of the worst element of the Republican base to seize the nomination — using skills refined over four decades." [In case you don't get the previous quote, this second piece will explain it.]