"Shall I make this one out to Mitt Romney?" (AP)

New Hampshire's only state-wide newspaper endorsed Newt Gingrich in the 2012 GOP primary race today, as many of you no doubt saw when you picked up the crisp copy of the Manchester Union Leader in your slippers, tears of joy streaming down your faces in the brilliant morning light. "A lot of candidates say they're going to improve Washington. Newt Gingrich has actually done that," the editorial states, neglecting to mention the pointless government shutdown, his $300,000 ethics sanction and the millions of dollars Gingrich takes from corporations as a "strategist." He's like Thomas Jefferson, only addicted to buying jewelry.

So how valuable is the Union Leader's (whose name now sounds Socialist to us) stamp of approval? They endorsed Ronald Reagan in 1976 and 1980, Pierre DuPont IV in 1988, Pat Buchanan in 1992 and 1996, Steve Forbes in 2000, and John McCain in 2008. This is great news for Gingrich, because presumably it means that Presidents Dupont, Buchanan, and Forbes will all endorse him too.

Despite this dubious track record, Mitt Romney was still trying to woo the Union Leader's publisher who pens endorsements, Joe McQuaid, by having dinner with him and his wife earlier this year. Romney must have had some serious garlic breath, but he's still ahead where it counts: 42% of primary voters in a recent poll back him, versus 15% for Gingrich. In a head-to-head matchup with President Obama, Romney leads among New Hampshire's voters 47% to 44%, but the president handily beats the former Speaker 52% to 40%.