Rumor Patrol: Romney Camp Spreading Palin Stories?

Rumor: Aides and advisers to Mitt Romney are responsible for spreading most of the anti-Palin stories that have been going around; during the campaign, they pressured reporters to look into reports of tension between McCain and Palin factions.

Analysis: As one of the first reporters to sense these ill-winds, I don't see an organized conspiracy.  The first people with whom I spoke had no connection to Romney's campaign whatsoever -- they were longtime McCain advisers and aides... so...they didn't much like Mitt Romney. When Palin was first selected, of the five Romney aides/advisers I remember contacting, three had positive impressions and two had mixed impressions. 

Now, as the campaign progressed, there were people who can be fairly described as being Romney advisers who began to criticize Palin and pass along what their Republican friends were telling them. But so did consultants, strategists and activists representing every potential 2012 candidate.  And other Romney advisers continued to praise her. 

Trendy, self-exonerating flip:  Now -- it bothers Team Romney that this idea has spread so widely. Take the truth out of it for a moment; Palin is the most popular figure in the Republican Party right now, and if you want a future in that party, you can't be seen as spreading gossip about her. 

Metaflip:  Bottom line: Mitt Romney's world is big.  Many Republicans consider themselves to be part of it. That's a credit to their faith in the guy.  But it's not too big; that is -- if the anti-Palin fires were being spread mostly by Romney folks, political reporters would know about it, and they'd write about it. Objection: Many reporters are in the tank and want to protect Romney and their sources:  Overruled: since when are reporters in Mitt Romney's tank?