Ouch.

It's been known for quite some time that there was bad blood between 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin and the team that ran GOP presidential nominee John McCain's campaign.

Now, there's this:

It would be "catastrophic" for the party if the GOP made Palin its 2012 presidential nominee, McCain 2008 strategist Steve Schmidt said today.

He offered that bit of biting analysis at a "First Draft of History" forum sponsored by The Atlantic, The Aspen Institute and the Newseum.

Added Schmidt:

"In the year since the election has ended, she has done nothing to expand her appeal beyond the base ... The independent vote is going to be up for grabs in 2012. That middle of the electorate is going to be determinative of the outcome of the elections. I just don't see that if you look at the things she has done over the year... that she is going to expand that base in the middle."

Here's a video clip. At the end, Democratic strategist Bob Shrum jokingly gives Palin a big endorsement:

As for McCain, Politico writes today that he's trying "to reshape the Republican Party in his own center-right image."