Weigel

Fox News releases its new survey of the race. With trends, from August:

Mitt Romney - 23% (+1)
Rick Perry - 19% (-10)
Herman Cain - 17% (+11)
Newt Gingrich - 11% (+8)
Ron Paul - 6% (-2)
Jon Huntsman - 4% (+3)
Michele Bachmann - 3% (-5)
Rick Santorum - 3% (-1)
Gary Johnson - N/A
Buddy Roemer - N/A

The biggest immediate impact of this poll: It guarantees Jon Huntsman's slot in the CNN debate. Recall that all the network requires for inclusion is an average of 2 percent in three polls. Four plus one plus one divided by three equals: Two. He's safe. So, that mini-drama is over.

I'm not overly surprised that Newt Gingrich has been able to ride his media-bashing and 90 percent plus name recognition to roughly the same poll numbers he had six months ago. Cain's bounce is a bigger surprise, one that other polls haven't shown.

Meanwhile, Fox pours antifreeze on two stories that have been burning up the airwaves on... well, on Fox.

A serious question: Why do Republican keep travelling to New York to kiss Donald Trump's ring, when voters have come to the conclusion that he's a monosyllabic lightweight with nothing to say about politics?