Poll of the Day, GOP vs. Tea Party Presidential Split Edition

The above comes from an interesting and persuasive Ronald Brownstein piece in the National Journal, explaining the volatility in the GOP race as a function of Tea Party Republicans frantically searching for Anybody But Mitt. Excerpt:

In the twelve national CNN/ORC surveys about the race conducted since January four different candidates have held or shared the national lead: ex-Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and businessman Donald Trump (neither of whom actually entered the race), Romney and Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Other national polls this year have recorded leads for former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and more recently businessman Herman Cain.

That's an extraordinary level of volatility: not since Barry Goldwater's insurgent win in 1964 have so many Republican candidates held a lead in national surveys before the first votes were cast. But a closer look at the CNN/ORC numbers suggests that the Republican race is settling down along one track, while still rapidly oscillating on the other.

Hmmm…who could be missing from those squiggly lines above?

Related National Journal content: "GOP Insiders Near-Unanimous in Predicting Romney Nomination."