Gretchen Carlson moves seamlessly from the question of division within the party to Sarah Palin -- a welcome transition for Mitt Romney or any other 2012 candidate.
CARLSON: A lot of people would argue the Republican party is fractured right now. We've had this tea party movement and talk of third party candidates.
ROMNEY: Frankly, I think we're more successful if we come united. If we splinter the conservative movement among various parties, why "divide and fail" would be the outcome.
CARLSON: Do you think Sarah Palin will do that? Do you think she will form a 3rd party?
ROMNEY: I don't know what her plans are, but my expectation is that she'll stay in the Republican party.
Look, she's a great, energizing member of the party. She has good ideas that have galvanized a lot of support for the party and she's a welcome addition.
CARLSON: As you know, her book tour just ended, and I had the opportunity to meet up with her when she was down in Florida. She gets big crowds, she's sold hundreds and thousands of books. Does that intimidate you as you go out on your book tour?
ROMNEY: Oh, no. Not at all. It's great. That's terrific news. I'm glad to see people are buying books from conservatives.
From an aesthetic point of view, Romney rocks TV interviews. His demeanor, his smooth delivery, his gravitas. If he could somehow translate that onto the stump, he'd be an extremely effective candidate. But can the zebra change his stripes? Can Oasis ever put out anything remotely original again?
[Hat tip: Chris Good]
