The alignment of Newt and the Palin crowd will not go unchallenged.
A dark horse candidate is biding their time, avoiding the embarrassment of the debate debacle, and will step forward in time to rally the majority of Republican delegates that make it to their convention. It will be a massively staged event and will distance the Republican establishment from the teaparty fringe that has only proven divisive at best. The chances of this candidate defeating Obama are no more or less greater than any one in the present field but it would bring some purpose, unity, and sanity back to the Republicans and send the far right racists back to their holes. Rove and crowd will be happy to have reclaimed their power over the party even if it means losing to Obama, again.