…here are a couple gems from two of the campaign’s most fervent, credibility-contorting cheerleaders, the “detestable harpy“** and Jennifer Rubin.

As noted earlier today, the harpy decided to go Full Romney in her column yesterday.  Called “THREE CHEERS FOR ROMNEYCARE!,” the harpy declared Romney’s signature – and most problematic – legislative achievement to have been a victory for the constitution and for conservatism.  As if that wasn’t enough on its own, Cold Warrior was kind enough to provide a link to the following video, which shows the “detestable harpy” at CPAC 2011 warning that a failure by Chris Christie to enter the presidential race would result in a Romney nomination and a GOP loss to President Obama in 2012:

Evidently Christie’s refusal to enter the race so traumatized the harpy that she not only fled straight into the arms of the man she warned just last year would be a sure loser in the 2012 election, but that she sacrificed any intellectual integrity or consistency in doing so. (Actually, this is an excellent object lesson in the fungibility of such arcane ideas as “principle” and “consistency” when fame and attention are at stake!)

When it comes to Rubin, well, not much needs to be said. The sad descent into self-parody by the Washington Post‘s resident “conservative” blogger is well-known and as firmly evidenced as any event in recent media history. Despite this, Rubin still manages to outdo herself from time to time by posting even more grotesque mental contortions than usual – as can be seen in her commentary in the last 24 hours on the Donald Trump endorsement.

When it had become conventional wisdom that The Donald was on the verge of endorsing Newt Gingrich for president, Rubin declared that the Trump endorsement was proof that Gingrich’s campaign was an utter joke, writing:

Herman Cain, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Sarah Palin and now, it seems, Donald Trump have lined up behind Newt Gingrich. It’s convenient to have a candidate like Gingrich who attracts the unserious, the unpresidential, the uninformed and the unpalatable all in one convenient locale. It saves the time and effort needed to determine who is a credible Republican and who is not (Gingrich supporters). The move is yet another boost for Rick Santorum, who definitely is in the category of responsible and credible candidates (whatever you think of his views) and has been struggling to wean the base off its attraction to Gingrich.

Now, of course, it turns out that The Donald, who as Dan Foster notes “is a tax-hiking, missile-defense-opposing, universal-health-care-advocating, eminent-domain abusing, Dem-donating clown,” will likely be endorsing Mitt Romney.

Oops.

First rule of holes be damned, I’m actually looking forward to seeing how Rubin tries to dig herself out of this one.

UPDATE: Well, here we are – and Rubin’s contortion doesn’t disappoint. She attempts her 180° on the Trump endorsement by writing:

On Thursday, Mitt Romney’s camp tried to solve two problems — foreclose the potential for a rogue Donald Trump and prevent any revival of Newt Gingrich’s campaign…by getting the Trump endorsement”

That’s right. When The Donald was expected to endorse Newt Gingrich, his support of a campaign supposedly proved that campaign’s unseriousness. Now that Trump’s endorsement has gone to Romney, it as all part of Mitt’s Master Plan. Got it?

** I’m using Mike’s nickname for this individual in order to keep from giving her what she wants more than anything else: more attention and more repetition of her name in public fora.