Republican governors and other party elders grew so alarmed by Mitt Romney’s inability to defeat Rick Santorum mid-way through the Republican primaries that they secretly hatched a “white-knight scenario” to draft a savior candidate, according to a new book.

Former Mississippi governor Haley Barbour and then-Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels tried to draft a new candidate into the race in the run-up to the Michigan primary in February, when a resurgent Santorum was beating Romney in a string of contests, according to “Double Down,” a book about the 2012 campaign by journalists Mark Halperin and John Heilemann.

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White House press secretary Jay Carney (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

White House press secretary Jay Carney on Friday augmented previous comments concerning reports that the Obama 2012 campaign had considered replacing Vice President Biden with Hillary Clinton, saying that it was never considered.

“It’s important to know that campaigns and pollsters test a lot of things," Carney said. "What I can tell you without a doubt is that the president never considered that, and had anyone brought that idea to him, he would have laughed it out of the room.

“Joe Biden has been an asset to this president in two campaigns and throughout five years of this administration.

“There is little doubt that he was an enormous asset to the entire cause and enterprise. That’s how the president feels — and, having said that, you all know that he believes that Hillary Clinton did a magnificent job as secretary of state.”

Lenell Ripley, second from left, cries as she demonstrates with other abortion rights supporters outside the Capitol auditorium in Austin, Texas, Thursday July 18, 2013. (AP Photo/Austin American-Statesman, Jay Janner)

The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Thursday that new abortion restrictions in Texas will remain in effect -- despite being struck down as unconstitutional Monday -- during the appeals process.

Eleven abortion clinics and three doctors in Texas had challenged two aspects of the new law -- one requiring that abortion doctors must have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of their clinic and another that all abortions must take place in surgical centers, rather than allowing women to take abortion drugs at home.

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott filed an emergency request to stay the ruling while the case was on appeal to the 5th Circuit; the court granted the motion.

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Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) announced Thursday that the Senate will reconsider the nominations of Rep. Mel Watt (D-N.C.) and Patricia Millett "in the very near future," making the pledge just hours after Republicans blocked both of them.

Reid also offered a not-so-veiled threat to change the Senate's filibuster rules if the GOP doesn't allow their confirmations.

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