The big story on Memeorandum this morning is the resignation en masse of Newt Gingrich’s top campaign staff over Newt’s decision to what amounts to wanting to campaign part-time. Fred Barnes says that Callista was the problem,
The last straw for the campaign staff was Gingrich’s decision to go on a two-week cruise in the Mediterranean, from which he returned on Tuesday. His advisers urged him not to go and take so much time from a campaign that was already in trouble. But his wife wanted him to go and she won the argument.
As a result, the morale of the Gingrich staff fell sharply. And fundraising declined as well with Gingrich absent from the day-to-day media coverage of the campaign.
While Gingrich was away, his aides talked among themselves about the course of the campaign. They wanted him to commit to seeking the Republican nomination on a full-time basis, including time spent in personal fundraising by Gingrich himself. Gingrich balked at this. His wife wanted him to pursue the presidency at less strenuous clip.
The problem is not Callista. The problem is Newt, who today sent emails saying “he’ll run a citizen-driven campaign focused strongly on the economy.”
As long as it doesn’t interfere with his vacation schedule.
UPDATE:
Betsy:
When I read analysts a few days ago speculating that Rick Perry would get in the campaign but noting he faced problems because some of his key aides were working for Newt Gingrich. At the time I thought, “Hey, those aides aren’t indentured servants. If they want to work for Perry, they’ll find a way to leave the Gingrich campaign.” Little did I realize that they were indeed meeting together to jump ship en masse sticking a shiv into Newt and his wife on their way out. My question about the assumption that now Perry gotten the band back together and how great that will be for Perry is this: if these aides are so savvy, why were they working for Newt in the first place? Everyone else knew how lame a candidate Gingrich would be; did they actually think he had a chance?
To me Gingrich is a politician for the 20th Century.
