And gets what sounds like a great gig, perfectly suited to his skills and interests…

Our friend Burl Burlingame posted this on Facebook last night, after days of buildup that something big was coming:

OK, everybody. I’ve been recruited by the Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor as their Curator. Last day as a full-time newspaperman is May 6. I’ve been in the newspaper business since 1975, full-time since 1977. Yikes!

Wow. I’m deeply impressed. But then, Burl is one of those rare journalists who built a parallel career — in his case, developing a well-deserved reputation as an expert on Pacific military history. (You may recall when he appeared on “NOVA” as a leading expert on Japanese midget submarines.)

Some of us — no names will be mentioned, to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest — spent all those years working 60 and often more hours a week at the paper (not writing books, not having hobbies or social lives, and worst of all, largely missing our children’s childhoods), climbing the ladder, becoming senior editors and vice presidents, only to have everything we had worked for all those decades disappear in an instant. Not that said people are bitter about it or anything.

But this isn’t about those people. You know, the ones who had their horses shot out from under them, and ended up wandering the desert for months at a time with their saddles on their backs, thinking about eating their boots. No, this is about Burl, who managed the feat of leaping to another fast horse while at full gallop.

Oh, and get this: His novel (which he finally got me to read, and critique, before telling me he was the author) is being published today, too.

Just makes you want to hit him, doesn’t it?

No, seriously — this is great. And this is Burl all over. He was a Renaissance man in high school — musician, photographer, cartoonist, actor and publisher of an underground newspaper — so this is just what you’d expect from him.

Way to go, Burl.

A few pointers for living on the outside… watch your oxygen supply, and see to the integrity of your stillsuit. And if you lose pressure in your suit or helmet, your blood will immediately boil…

OK, I’m out of metaphors now, for the moment.

I had some things I wanted to say about this today, but I’ve run out of time — I’m on my way to a meeting that will last the rest of the afternoon.

So I thought I’d put up a post where y’all can start a discussion, and I’ll join you later in progress. Here’s the latest news:

SANFORD, Fla. — George Zimmerman, a former neighborhood watch volunteer arrested on murder charges in the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed 17-year-old, is scheduled to make his first court appearance Thursday afternoon.

Mr. Zimmerman, 28, was charged by a special prosecutor on Wednesday evening with second-degree murder. He is likely to appear with a new lawyer, Mark M. O’Mara, a well-known criminal lawyer, but it is not clear if a judge will set bail, or if Mr. Zimmerman will formally enter a plea.

Mr. O’Mara said in a brief interview on Wednesday night that when the time comes his client would plead not guilty…

Doug Ross sent this to Kathryn to send to me, with this message:

Please send this to Brad. I think his head will explode.

I don’t know why he didn’t sent it directly to me. I could probably figure out why, but my head just exploded.

Yep, I think that ranks as the worst, least respectful version of our anthem I’ve heard.

OK, so maybe the Roseanne Barr version was worse, because it was intentionally disrespectful. This Stacey Q person, whoever she is, probably thought she was doing something good. So it ranks as the worst that didn’t mean to be the worst.

Why can’t these kids today do it in the proper, traditional manner, the way they did it in my day (see the clip below)?

Seriously, though, my favorite that comes immediately to mind is the version that Ken Burns used during the opening credits of each episode of his “Baseball” series. It’s by the Big League Orchestra, and you can hear it here. I think what really makes it for me is the never-ending roll on the snare drums. That creates a tension, an excitement, that stirs the blood all the way through. Or something. Maybe Phillip could explain it.

Kathryn “expressed her lack of appreciation of the “Mad Men” scene in which Don’s new young wife sings him a song in French.

No, it’s not much of a song, but that’s not the point. It was meant to evoke a certain sense of what 30ish, white, button-down people thought was particularly cool, sexy and sophisticated at that point in cultural history (1965).

To me, the scene’s cultural antecedent was the below scene in “The Pink Panther” (1963). The singer is Fran Jeffries.

Below that, I’ve included an original video of Gillian Hills singing the song in 1962. Gillian later appeared in a ménage à trois with David Hemmings and another girl in “Blow-Up,” the ultimate mid-60s cool movie (much spoofed by Austin Powers).

That’s all for now. I’ll try to keep up with this stuff for you. My time machine is standing by.

You can buy the Jessica Pare version of the song on vinyl at the “Mad Men” site.

I had a breakfast meeting this morning and didn’t get around to reading The State, but Cameron Runyan has sent out a release making sure that I didn’t miss the paper’s endorsement of him for the open at-large seat on Columbia City Council.

Cameron quoted this part in the release:

Mr. Runyan has a firm grasp of how city government works. He talks with specificity and clarity about how to make a good capital city great. He displays energy and passion as he speaks of needing to plan for Columbia’s future not just two or 20 years down the road but 100. He asks questions such as: What is the city going to be like three generations from now?

He speaks in like manner about city-county cooperation, noting that the governments should consolidate every service possible: “For the next 50 years, collaboration will be one of the most important words stated in this city,” he said.,,

There was a caveat in the endorsement, however, which was not quoted in the release:

But while Mr. Runyan’s penchant for staking out strident, uncompromising positions can at times be an asset, it also could prove problematic if that prevents him from listening to sound reasoning and legitimate concerns. Compromise is key to governing, and he must be open to changing his mind when it’s in the best interest of the city. We are particularly concerned about his dogged support of using tax increment financing districts, which siphon new tax dollars away from basic services, to help fund the Bull Street project and other developments, and his assertion that adding yet another penny to the already-too-high sales tax is the only way to fund the bus system.

Mr. Bolchoz likely would bring a conservative perspective that would provide some balance on the council. He understands that finite finances require governments to prioritize and says there may be times when projects must be delayed and that the city might have to stop doing some things. His would be a practical approach, he said, adding the city “can’t give everybody everything.” He rightly questions whether the city should now — or ever — use tax increment financing.

Nevertheless, it’s not surprising that the paper went with Cameron. As I recall, we supported him last time around, when he went up against incumbent Daniel Rickenmann. And he’s learned a lot since then.

And endorsement or no,  he got out so early and so strong that he’s been the guy to beat from the start of this election. Even his detractors (one of whom I was speaking to just a little while ago) acknowledge that, however reluctantly. Having started late, Robert Bolchoz needs to do more than we’ve seen so far to catch up. And Joe Azar will probably end up where he usually does.

Jenny Isgett is our fourth and final candidate interview for the Columbia City Council seat being vacated by Belinda Gergel. I caught up with her at the Five Points Starbucks this past week.

You may note a certain resemblance between her signage and that of Dr. Gergel four years ago, right down to the exclamation point. That is fitting, because she sees herself as a natural heiress to the seat, noting that it “has been held by a woman for 30 years.” (Candy Waites, Anne Sinclair, then Belinda.)

Ms. Isgett is an attorney. A young one — she was in law school with my daughter — although still 10 years older than her youngest opponent, law student Daniel Coble. She says her work with a title insurance company has given her a lot of relevant experience with municipal issues, as she’s had to deal a lot with zoning and land use. She says she is only a thesis away from a master’s degree in criminal justice, which would also be useful in a council member. She also notes that she is part of her company’s budget process every year, which she says gives her something to set against the  business experience Moe Baddourah touts.

Originally from Cottageville, SC, she’s been in Columbia for 17 years. She lives in Shandon, within a couple of blocks of Mr. Baddourah and Daniel’s parents.

She started knocking on doors in the district in late September. I asked, as I often do of candidates, what she was hearing from those residents she was meeting. Mainly, she said, about water and sewer, flooding and potholes.

For her part, she sees a need for improving the city’s infrastructure, which in part means “stop robbing that water and sewer fund.” She wants the city to “invest in Rocky Branch Creek” to improve flow and reduce flooding.

She also wants to promote the city “as an attractive place” to do business, as well as a good place to live. That means streamlining the permitting process, and, “if we can,” eliminating the business license fee.

To come up with needed funds, she suggests looking at annexing more areas into the city. When it comes to cutting spending, she sees no “magic bullet,” no big cuts that would free up a lot of money — although she believes there’s room for “trimming” in the budget.

She says she’s supportive of suggestions the Urban Land Institute has made for the city. She says the city has a lot of “great spots” — such as Main Street, the Vista, and USC, but she doesn’t see them as “connected” as they should be.

As for Innovista, “I’m sure it was a good idea, but practically speaking, I haven’t seen it take off yet.”

The issue of a penny sales tax for transportation is “really hard for me… I don’t want to say this or that when I don’t know all the issues.” She says “I’m one thousand percent for public transportation,” but has her doubts about the plan that has been put forth for it. She’s also concerned about what restaurateurs say, that the penny is “basically a dime when you go out to eat,” thanks to taxes already put on dining out in Columbia.

She suggests that she would approach many issues humbly, listening to all views because “Sometimes you don’t know the answer.”

Moe Baddourah in the office of his restaurant, with a map of his objective behind him.

Restaurateur Moe Baddourah has one thing in common with opponent Daniel Coble: An admiration for the electoral tactics of County Councilman Seth Rose.

Mr. Rose beat Mr. Baddourah in the 2010 election to replace Kit Smith, and Moe took notes. He is now applying everything he learned. If anything characterized the Rose approach, it was that he resolved that no one would outwork him. In keeping with that, Mr. Baddourah is away from his restaurant this afternoon, going door-to-door in the unseasonable heat. He’s made it his No. 1 priority to knock on the door of every district resident expected to vote, and he’s “pretty much done all of them now.”

It’s been an adventure. One voter hurled racial epithets at the Lebanese-American. Another came to the door with a gun in his hand. After Moe persuaded him that he posed no danger, the man relaxed and “was very nice after that.” The man was just that worried about crime, says Moe.

In front of his restaurant, one of Moe's ubiquitous signs.

His one concern at this point is that he’s “a little behind on fund-raising” — not that you could tell, judging by the profusion of his yard signs in the district. He got a very early jump on that — considering that conventionally, campaigns don’t trot out the signs until about three weeks out — creating an early impression of being in the lead. And indeed, of the candidates I’ve interviewed thus far, Mr. Baddourah seems most likely to make it at least into a runoff.

As for the issues, he believes the man with the gun had a point: “Crime is No. 1.”

Beyond that, “Infrastructure is a huge concern.” He tells of asking a woman what concerns she had in her neighborhood. When she couldn’t think of anything, her 8-year-old child piped up, “What about the brown water, Mama?” He says taking care of infrastructure should crowd out other priorities: “I don’t care how many parks you want — if you can’t take care of the simple services,” businesses are not going to want to locate in the city.

More than once in an interview he recited the litany of “Police, fire, services” — and by services, he meant fundamental infrastructure. Such as keeping the drinking water from turning brown. He said that preventing flooding in the Five Points area would be the sort of basic infrastructure need he would advocate. When I asked if the city could afford it, he said, “Do we have any choice?” He complained about $360,000 being spent on a fence along Blossom in Maxcy Gregg Park. “Can I have half of that” for a retaining pond to keep the creek from overflowing there, he asked?

He says water and sewer infrastructure would be in better shape if tap fees hadn’t been misspent for 10 years on other items. “This is the kind of thing that makes me want to run,” to inject accountability for such funds.

Personally, he says that as a businessman and family man, “I connect with people. I feel their pain.” Mr. Baddourah has lived in Columbia for 32 years, having come here when he was 16 because he “didn’t think Beirut was stable enough” — quite an understatement, given what was happening there at that time. He had one connection in the community — his uncle, who owned Andy’s Deli. He worked to learn the language and the customs. He built a business, married and has a son.

He found Columbia warm and welcoming from the start. He has traveled the world since then, but he’s never been back to Lebanon. “Columbia is my home.”

Burl’s mention of Zulu time in connection with my DST rant reminds me of my experience standing at the center of space and time itself at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich last year.

The above picture was taken just after 4 p.m. on New Year’s Day 2011, meaning that the sun had gone down — none of that mucking about with saving daylight that irritates me so in this country. Hence the murky photo. Off to my right you can see the queue of people waiting in the misty rain to take their pictures in front of the astrolabe-looking thing that you see there, and some sort of plaque or sign. I don’t know what it was because I saw no reason to wait in the queue. I just went around to the other side and stood astride the Prime Meridian, precisely at O degrees longitude.

Something struck me about the patient souls waiting on the other side of the big astrolabe was that so many of them were foreign, and I don’t mean European foreign or American foreign like me, but Asians and Africans, and peoples from the subcontinent. It seemed… ironic… that people from places subjugated long ago by the British Empire should come to play tourist at the place where it all started. The development by the Brits of reliable methods for arriving at longitude — carefully documented in the museum within — played a huge role in the way Britannia came to rule the waves. Not only in terms of projecting naval power, but the domination of world trade. And this was where so much of it happened, at the Royal Observatory. Of course, the very notion that this is the 0 point is an imperial conceit. But they’re the ones who figured it out, so that’s what we go by.

Below you see some sextants I saw at the nearby National Maritime Museum — the very instruments used for determining when it is really noon in one’s particular spot on the Earth.

After the ground-shaking news of Glenn McConnell surrendering power, this is sort of anticlimactic:

Columbia, SC (WLTX) – Former South Carolina Lt. Governor Ken Ard pleaded guilty Friday to seven counts of state ethics violations.

Ard appeared in a Richland County Circuit courtroom at 2 p.m., about an hour after South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson revealed the state grand jury’s indictment against the embattled politician.

Wilson told reporters that a state grand jury indicted Ard for what Wilson calls the “creation of a fictitious campaign.”

Here’s the indictment that Alan Wilson told about at his presser, along with video.

From that event:

Wilson said Ard was trying to create the impression of a groundswell of support for his candidacy. The contributions were what Wilson called “phantom” contributions –and unusual for South Carolina.

“To our knowledge, the creation of such a fictitious campaign had never been criminally charged before in this state’s history,” Wilson said.

The charges are misdemeanor charges….

As misdemeanors go, though, it was a lulu.

In a real dark night of the soul it is always three o’clock in the morning, day after day.

Scott Fitzgerald had one. Since then, we’ve been required to call “nervous breakdowns” by more (perhaps misleadingly, I suspect) precise terms. But in these parlous times, some of us cling for reassurance to the old ways, the WSJ reports (“Time for a Good Old-Fashioned Nervous Breakdown?“):

Fifty years ago, Ms. Shapiro’s experience would have been called a “nervous breakdown”—an unscientific term for personal crises ranging from serious mental illness and alcoholism to marital problems and stress.

Today, psychiatry is more precise. A sudden inability to cope with life’s demands could be classified as one of dozens of specific mental disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder or major depression. There’s no official term for milder forms of “nervous breakdown,” though some patients and clinicians wish there was still a name for a temporary state of being overwhelmed by outside forces without an underlying mental illness.

“I hear the term ‘nervous breakdown’ from a patient at least once a week,” says Katherine Muller, a clinical psychologist at the Center for Integrative Psychotherapy in Allentown, Pa. “The term lives on in our culture, maybe because it seems to capture so well what people feel when they are distressed.”

“Given the economic mess we’re in, a lot of people are coming in saying they think they’re on the verge of a nervous breakdown,” says David Hellerstein, research psychiatrist at the New York State Psychiatric Institute. He says it can be challenging to tell immediately if a patient is having an acute episode of mental illness, or a predictable reaction to extreme stress. Symptoms may be similar—including heart palpitations, chest pains, shortness of breath, uncontrollable crying, dizziness, disorientation, exhaustion and a feeling of “going crazy.”…

I like the return of the folksier, archaic term. More “scientific” terms suggest a precision, a specificity that seems to me impossible in dealing with anything so complex, so messy, so organic, so spiritual as the human mind.

In any case, when mine comes (perhaps I should say, when my NEXT one comes), I hope everyone calls it a “nervous breakdown.” That sounds so much more human — friendlier, somehow — than the more clinical terms.

With regard to this:

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley today has vetoed a measure aimed at retroactively stripping the state’s Department of Health and Environmental Control of the authority to approve a permit needed by Georgia to dredge the Savannah River.

The controversial permit is needed for the Port of Savannah’s plan to deepen the river to accommodate larger container ships. Opponents — the state House and Senate unanimously approved the measure Haley vetoed — say the DHEC water quality permit approval is bad for the environment and the competitiveness of South Carolina ports.

Haley called the joint resolution “an unconstitutional legislative overreaching into an agency’s ruling,” a ruling that “was based on law and scientific benchmarks.” She also said the resolution was legally flawed…

I received the following this morning:

Columbia, SC – February 27, 2012 – Senate President Pro Tempore Glenn McConnell today issued the following statement on Gov. Nikki Haley’s veto of H4627, a joint resolution that reverses DHEC’s disastrous decision on Savannah River port permitting:

“I am disappointed that Governor Haley is choosing to hide behind a flawed separation of powers argument in defending her agency appointees’ disastrous decision to sell out the interests of South Carolina to Georgia,” McConnell said.

“This isn’t about a conflict between the executive and legislative branches – it’s about what’s right for South Carolina. It is not only within the legislature’s purview to act to protect the environmental and economic future of South Carolina, but also its duty to serve as a check on renegade state agencies that act beyond their power and against the interest of South Carolina. This resolution passed the House and Senate unanimously, and I have no doubt it will be overridden quickly and with similar voting margins.”

###

There’s seldom any love lost between Glenn McConnell and any governor, but this ports thing is driving the wedge ever deeper. And when you set the powers and prerogatives of the executive against those of the legislative, in Glenn’s book, you’ve gone to messin’.

In keeping with Frank Rizzo’s dictum that a conservative is a liberal who’s been mugged, should we expect the “conservative wing” of the U.S. Supreme Court now to grow by one?

WASHINGTON — Justice Stephen Breyer was robbed last week by a machete-wielding intruder at his vacation home in the West Indies, a Supreme Court spokeswoman said Monday.

The 73-year-old Breyer, wife Joanna and guests were confronted by the robber around 9 p.m. EST Thursday in the home Breyer owns on the Caribbean island of Nevis, spokeswoman Kathy Arberg said. The intruder took about $1,000 in cash and no one was hurt, Arberg said.

She said the robbery was reported to local authorities, but she did not know if an arrest has been made. The U.S. Marshals Service is assisting local authorities and the Supreme Court Police with the investigation, Marshals Service spokesman Jeff Carter said.

I was just joking with the “conservative is a liberal who has been mugged.” I find that sort of argument (such as, “If someone in your family were gay, you’d change your mind…”) to be grossly offensive. I respect the justice too much to believe that his discernment in matters of the law is that shallow.

For that matter, I don’t really believe in the whole “left wing and right wing of the Court” thing. I believe everyone we have on the Supreme Court today gives careful consideration, based upon the law, to his or her decisions, rather than deliberately skewing things along the absurd lines that define politics today.

That said, where does Justice Breyer get off off-shoring his vacation home? How about that, huh?

Speaking of the Ayn Rand Institute — my son brought my attention to the above hilarious video over the weekend.

I especially enjoyed it because I’d often wondered about that very thing: Didn’t guys in the SS ever stop and think, “Hey! We’ve got skulls on our hats! Are we the bad guys?”

Before I saw that, I had been unfamiliar with Mitchell and Webb. Here’s an even funnier skit I went on to find, mined from the same vein — the gag being Doenitz’ big “promotion” to Führer in the last days of the war. No, really — it’s funny. Take a look.

What, you say, is the connection to the Ayn Rand Institute? Well, I’ve often wondered the same thing about them: Do they never stop and think what it really means to admire the author of The Virtue of Selfishness? (Answer: Yes, they do. And they justify it by a good-is-really-evil sort of rationalization.)

For some reason, I regularly get email releases from U.S. Rep. Daniel Webster of Florida. And I have to say, they are disappointing. You see that name, and you expect towering eloquence. But I get stuff like this:

“The federal executive-branch agencies hold an extensive amount of property that includes 429,000 buildings and over a million total properties.  In fact, the federal government is the largest owner and manager of real estate in our country.  If we sold all excess federal properties, proceeds could approach an estimated $15 billion – serious savings – on top of even more savings reaped annually from reducing maintenance and operating costs.

“H.R. 1734 is a cost saving initiative that achieves a reduction in the size of the federal real property inventory through selling or redeveloping underutilized properties, increasing the utilization rates of existing properties, and expediting the disposal of surplus properties. The act shows real respect for the hardworking taxpayers who pay for government buildings and space.  You can do more with less if you do it efficiently; this bill does just that.  Better management of federal property presents an opportunity to reduce expenditures and increase revenue.  As families look for ways to budget and manage their personal finances, our government should do the same,” said Representative Webster.

Not exactly “Justice, sir, is the great interest of man on earth. It is the ligament which holds civilized beings and civilized nations together.”

But I guess he does what he can. Here’s what an Orlando publication says about him:

For someone who shares a name with one of the most loquacious and eloquent men to sit in the United States Congress, 8th District Rep. 
Daniel Webster has been nothing like his historic namesake since leaving for Washington. By December 2011, the Winter Garden Republican had yet to make a single major speech on the House floor or introduce a substantive piece of legislation—in marked contrast to the freshman lawmaker he unseated in 2010, Democrat Alan Grayson, by all accounts one of the mouthiest politicians on Capitol Hill.

In a year’s time his office has issued just 31 press releases, and from June through December, Webster, 62, held no public town hall meetings, although he did meet with 25 invited guests at Valencia College in November. One reason Webster has been so elusive may be that a town hall meeting in April turned raucous, provoking some of the meager press coverage about him–after which his office circulated a “watch list” of six Florida activists to other GOP members of Congress.

It goes on to say:

So, what’s up with the bland, soft-spoken, former longtime state legislator and Tea Party favorite? Aubrey Jewett, a political science professor at University of Central Florida, says Webster sees himself as “a foot soldier in what the Republicans [are] trying to do, and not necessarily being a leader in the movement.” Donald Davison, of Rollins College’s political science department, takes a similar view. “My impression is, the guy’s invisible,” Davison says. “My guess is he’s following the leaders of the Republican leadership in the House: united opposition to Obama.”

Sounds like he’s sort of the Joe Wilson of the Tea Party movement — more of a “me, too” kind of guy.

Too bad. With the right handlers, the original Dan’l Webster could have been the leader of the Tea Party movement, had he so chosen. Here are other quotes I ran across:

• “A country cannot subsist well without liberty, nor liberty without virtue.”
• “An unlimited power to tax involves, necessarily, the power to destroy.”
• “God grants liberty only to those who love it, and are always ready to guard and defend it.”

What they wouldn’t be so crazy about was when he said stuff like this: “Keep cool; anger is not an argument.” And some of his positions still wouldn’t fly down South: “Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and inseparable.”

But you can’t have everything. In any case, they don’t make Daniel Websters the way they used to.

Newt just keeps getting hits and getting on base these last couple of days.

I saw the headline on this release about “Business Leaders” endorsing him, and thought it would be just another list like many others.

But it’s really quite substantial:

J. Egerton Burroughs, a Conway based real estate developer and owner of Carolina Consultant Company, Chairman at Burroughs & Chapin Company, Chapin & Burroughs Brothers Properties and a member of the Board of University of South Carolina.

Joe Edens, owner of Edens, a Midlands based real estate enterprise with retail centers throughout the Eastern and Midwest United States.

Vivian Wong, owner of Global Trading Consortium of Greenville which creates attracts and links business markets across the globe.

Eddie Floyd, renowned MD and driving force in the Republican party from Florence.  Floyd is also a member of the Board of the University of South Carolina and former special representative to UN under President Bush.

Jim Roquemore, CEO and Chairman of Patten Seed Company, General Manager of Super-Sod/Carolina.  Mr. Roquemore is also Chairman of South Carolina Bank & Trust and sits on the Southeast and National Boards of the Boy Scouts of America.

Doug Wendell, Chairman of the Board of Coastal Carolina National Bank, Chair of the Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development Corp, and national tourism leader.

Leighton Cubbage of Greenville, partner and co-founder of Serrus Capital Partners, community leader and avid supporter of Clemson University.

Robert Royall, former US Ambassador to Tanzania and former SC Commerce Secretary

Gayle O. Averyt of Columbia is the former Chairman of Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Company, which now operates in 48 states, and is largely credited with the tremendous growth of the South Carolina Republican Party.

John Rainey, is a practicing attorney, Chairman of the Board of Easlan Capital and former Chairman of the South Carolina Board of Economic Advisors.

Bob McAlister, veteran South Carolina crisis communications and public policy consultant based in Columbia.

I saw Gayle Averyt at a Huntsman event last week. And I spoke with Bob McAlister, and he hadn’t made up his mind yet. I guess he has now.

John Rainey. Bob Royall. This is A-list. These are people Mr. I’m-a-Successful-Businessman Romney should have backing him. This is a blow to his campaign.

Ex-wife or no ex-wife, this looks like momentum.

The stakes are huge, with Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich running neck-and-neck in the polls.

Let’s see what happens with the Final Four…

Of course, all were conducted before the “open marriage” bombshell. Polls are always a moving target, but this target is moving more than any I’ve ever seen.

Here’s what we’re looking at:

Public Policy polling has Gingrich leading Romney 34 percent to 28 percent. This was the first night of three nights of tracking. Can’t wait to see tomorrow’s.

Rasmussen has Gingrich at 33 to Romney’s 31.

In an American Research Group poll, Gingrich has 33 percent compared to Romney’s 32.

Those last two, of course, are statistical dead heats.

This is wild stuff. The stakes in tonight’s debate are HUGE.