“Awww, shucky ducky!” as Herman Cain would say. I was so hoping that Donald Trump would have used his Las Vegas platform to endorse Newt Gingrich. He had hinted at it, but no. The “Celebrity Apprentice” maestro (and don’t you know it will be premiering soon) endorsed Mitt Romney instead.

With Romney’s easy Nevada victory, he looks to be marching toward the nomination and an avalanche of PAC money. He didn’t need Trump’s OK; in fact, at times he didn’t seem to be that thrilled with it. Though his press release said, yes, yes, “We share both a background in the private sector and a belief that Washington needs to get out of the way of small business,” Romney’s eyes said, “What am I doing here on stage with Mr. ‘you’re fired’ in a week when my relation to the trials of poor Americans is under a microscope. He went with it gamely, though, his wife by his side. Even though it was Vegas, Ann Romney was the only woman on the stage – no showgirls, no Melania, Trump’s third wife – and she handled it with class and in silence.

Then, the moment was over and I was left wanting more. Wouldn’t a Trump-Gingrich make more sense and be infinitely more fun? You could see those two guys hanging out together, interrupting each other while trading tall tales about big ideas and courageous exploits.

Do you think it would have made a difference if Gingrich had stayed at Trump’s Las Vegas hotel instead of at Sheldon Adelson’s?

Can you imagine the Trump-Gingrich campaign tour? It would be quite a show, with cameras recording every second. Would there be a stage anywhere big enough for the both of them?

Still, you can understand Trump’s logic. After his Obama-birther nonsense, he’s aiming for respectability, though you wonder what Romney gets out of this alliance. It does mean that Trump won’t himself run, at least not this month.

Maybe, as usual, Trump is one step ahead of all of us and it’s all part of a master plan – Romney for president, Gingrich as star of a reality show.

“Life with Newt,” No. 1 ratings guaranteed. All he needs is a catch-phrase.