As Josh noted earlier, there may have been a seismic shift in the GOP primary race yesterday, when Sam Brownback essentially gave Rudy Giuliani a pass on his abortion rights views.

Over at TPM Election Central, we're tracking the fallout from Brownback's remarks. And they really do have far-reaching consequences--for Giuliani, for the prospect of a third-party pro-life candidacy, and for some of the other candidates, Mitt Romney, in particular.

For instance, a major Romney supporter, who is pro-life, is outraged over Brownback's remarks, telling Greg Sargent in an interview that Brownback is "cozying up" to Giuliani for some purported personal political gain. That in turn complicates things for Romney, who is still trying to secure a Brownback endorsement to shore up his own weakness among evangelicals. Around and around it goes.

Late Update: Brownback's political director in Iowa (up until his departure from the race) says Giuliani may get the nod from Brownback because he has the best chance of beating Hillary.