Saltsman offers political commentary to major news networks, publications
He gets quoted on a weekly basis in publications like the Wall Street Journal, Politico and Boston Globe, and he lends his comments to shows like "Hardball with Chris Matthews" and "The O'Reilly Factor."
He's also the chief of staff for Rep. Chuck Fleischmann.
Whether it's from studios in Washington D.C., or on the phone in Chattanooga, Chip Saltsman has become a familiar name in political commentary surrounding the race for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.
Saltsman, a former chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party and campaign manager for former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's 2008 presidential campaign, is watching the race unfold from the sidelines for the first time since working on President George Bush's unsuccessful bid for re-election in 1992.
In an interview with Nooga.com, Saltsman said that although his first and most important job was working for Fleischmann, offering his thoughts as a former campaign manager allowed him to be involved "to a very light extent" in the 2012 campaigns.
"When you've been around Washington a long time, you just get to know all the folks," he said. "Most of the interviews take five or 10 minutes. I'm interesting now because I ran a campaign cycle, and I probably have a very unique viewpoint in the sense that I've been through it."
Saltsman said he gets more requests for commentary than he can satisfy on a daily basis. When featured, he's often given the title of "Republican strategist" or "former Huckabee campaign manager," with no mention of his work for Fleischmann.
"There's a limited number of us," he said.
Saltsman compared his conversations with popular talking heads like John King and Al Sharpton to "Monday morning quarterbacking," making an easy assessment and offering comments after events have unfolded. He also said that, throughout the primary season, he had spoken with the majority of the Republican presidential candidates, adding that "a couple" had asked him to consider becoming involved with their campaigns.
Saltsman declined to say which candidates.
"A couple tried to get me involved a little more, but I'm committed to Chuck for this cycle, so I didn't entertain many of those offers for very long," he said. "I'd spend five or 10 minutes with them in sit-down strategy meetings to talk about what they're going through."
Although Saltsman said watching the 2012 race unfold from the sidelines has taught him that "predictions don't hold very well," he was willing to offer one forecast for what would happen once the Republicans found their nominee.
"My sense is after the primary is over, there won't be a lot of people calling me," he said. "Not even a little bit."
