Reading between the lines here, it seems Newt is going to hold off on endorsing Mitt until Mitt gets all of his funders to pay off Newt’s campaign debts.
I don’t see as much character in this move as you do, unfortunately.
I confess I’m only looking at the surface. The whole thing is like watching a movie, to me. I’m interested in the outcome of this election, but I know that it really won’t matter much. We’re screwed no matter who wins. The winner will just determine the position used.