A political tip sheet for the rest of us

NEXT UP?

— Feb. 11: Party officials are to announce results from Maine's weeklong caucuses.

— Feb. 28: GOP primaries in Arizona and Michigan.

IN THEIR WORDS:

— "One of the great gifts that I've had in my political career is that no one ever thinks that I can ever win anything. The gift of being underestimated is a wonderful gift." — Santorum.

— "Remember what it felt like on 9/11 when 3,100 Americans were killed. Now imagine an attack where you add two zeros. And it's 300,000 dead. Maybe half a million wounded. This is a real danger. This is not science fiction." — Gingrich, on threat to U.S. from Iran's potential nuclear capabilities.

— "This is dancing with the devil." — Russ Feingold, campaign finance advocate and former U.S. senator, on Obama's embrace of super PACs.

— "I don't think the conservative base changes its mind day to day. The places where I campaigned actively, we got actually in some respects record support from the conservative base." — Romney, dismissing the notion that he's got a problem with the party's core supporters.