There’s two major messages that have come from the Gingrich campaign since the news broke that he was unable to get onto the Virginia Republican Primary ballot. On Saturday, Gingrich’s Campaign Director, Michael Krull, released a statement that pinned the blame on the ballot process itself, saying, “Only a failed system excludes four out of the six major candidates seeking access to the ballot.”

Today, the Gingrich camp has changed course dramatically on who deserves the blame for this Pearl Harbor-esque defeat. (Hint: it’s not him). Instead of blaming the “system,” Gingrich has now decided to call out a single rogue signature collector:

On a campaign stop at an Algona chocolate store, the former House speaker said the “mistake” occurred because one of their workers committed fraud.

“We hired somebody who turned in false signatures. We turned in 11,100 – we needed 10,000 – 1,500 of them were by one guy who frankly committed fraud.”

So it’s not the “system” at all anymore, just “one guy”? I don’t like the sound of this — did he come from ACORN?

I guess that Newt will probably need to update his Pearl Harbor analogy, since the circumstances that surround his “setback” have changed. Jay and I have decided that the Trojan War is a good analogy:

The year is 1184 BC. The Gingrich campaign has been tricked into accepting a gift from “one guy” in the guise of valid Virginia voter signatures. Instead, Mickey Mouse, Jackie O, Adolph Hitler, and others jump out of the signature roll, leaving Newt 400 signatures short and therefore disqualified from being on the Virginia primary ballot.