Did Sarah Palin try to sabotage Mitt Romney's rollout?

In Boston, Thursday, Sarah Palin suggested that Mitt Romney's "support of government mandates" in health care might doom his presidential hopes. Then she traveled to New Hampshire, her first such visit in three years, and held a clambake at a home just minutes from the site where potential GOP presidential rival Romney launched his campaign hours earlier. Palin insists that the timing of her visit is "coincidental." But Palin's "improbable coincidences" just keep piling up, says Jay Newton-Small in TIME. Is Palin trying to sabotage the GOP frontrunner?

Palin's gunning for Romney: Taken separately, her attention-grabbing trip to New Hampshire and her ill-informed criticism of Romney's health care positions could just plausibly be unrelated to Romney's big roll-out, says Jed Lewison in Daily Kos. But both in the same day? "It's pretty obvious that whether or not she's running, Palin intended to throw Romney under the bus."

"Sarah Palin knocks Mitt Romney over individual mandate..."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Romney might welcome the fight: It's worth noting that Palin also said Romney will make a "great candidate" and "denied that she was attempting to outshine Romney on his big day," says Scott Conroy in RealClearPolitics. And although she did rip him pretty hard over "RomneyCare," Mitt might even be grateful. A healthy Romney vs. Palin narrative "could pay some dividends for both contenders in a crowded presidential field."

"Palin slams 'RomneyCare' in Massachusetts"

Palin is out for Palin: Whether Palin "deliberately or accidentally" stepped on Romney's launch, says Sam Stein in The Huffington Post, the message was the same: Palin "feels no allegiance to others inside the GOP tent." And in Romney's case, Palin's "streak of independence" also carries some "subtle ingratitude," given his role in boosting her 2006 run for Alaska governor.

"Palin steps on Romney's campaign launch..."