From the Tuesday edition of the Morning Jolt, a look at the latest potential headache for Republicans…

Say What? Glenn Beck Would Prefer a Ron Paul Third Party Bid Over Newt?

Uh-oh: “Glenn Beck said this morning on his radio show that if Newt Gingrich is the nominee and Ron Paul runs third party, he’d consider voting for Ron Paul over Newt Gingrich, and he hates Ron Paul’s policies on the Middle East.”

Bryan Preston is in disbelief: “Beck notes that he hates Paul’s Middle East policies but, gun to his head, he would consider Paul over the “progressives” Romney and Gingrich. There’s much more about Paul to oppose than just his MidEast policies, particularly for someone like Beck who has done so much to promote “9-12″ thinking on terrorism. Ron Paul is a Truther. His 1990s newsletters run straight off into racism and anti-Semitism. The only thing a Paul third-party candidacy would do is re-elect Barack Obama. And if Paul thinks he may have someone of Beck’s influence behind him, he’s that much more likely to bolt once the GOP nomination goes to someone else. Glenn Beck is playing with fire.”

Playing with fire? Well, Beck has been known to pour gasoline every now and then.

The Ace of Spades is pretty furious: “The Rodeo Clown really wants Obama to stay in office, huh? This, of course, will encourage Ron Paul to do what he probably is already inclined to do. Wonderful. Apparently some among us talk a good game about the crucial need of removing Obama from office, but sort of have a kind of Battered Wife Syndrome, and just can’t quit the big lug. Some of us are apparently going to work our very hearts out to make sure the batterer who gives our lives meaning remains president.”

Nice Deb is ready to quit Beck, declaring that he has jumped the shark: “I’ve always been inclined to like the guy – but no more.  No more. I can’t see how any right-minded, self-respecting Republican can  have anything to do with Glenn Beck at this point. He’d throw Israel under the bus over Gingrich?

Unbelievable. I understand that politics gets a little heated at times, and we have our little disagreements over candidates – but this? This is crazy and suicidal. Beck has a large audience, and I hope to heck most of them leave him over this. I can only hope (and pray) that Ron Paul has enough love for his country that he not do this.”

…As for how Newt thinks of Beck’s criticism, he said Monday, “ I don’t know,” Gingrich responded to the charges, laughing. “It depends on what standard you’re using, you know? The fact is that I balanced the budget for four consecutive years. And we did so while cutting taxes and increasing employment so people went back to work, they left welfare, they left food stamps, they left unemployment, they left Medicaid. Who else has a record of that level of achievement? I worked with Reagan in ‘79, ‘80. I worked with Reagan for 8 years in defeating the Soviet Empire. I think those are relatively conservative credentials.”