Rules cannot determine if content is newly published to front page

I'm trying to learn the rules module, so I can start using it instead of hard-coding all my rules into my modules.

I'm trying to learn components. My goal is a condition component that does the following:
1) Checks to see if the content has been promoted to the front page AND
2) Either is a new node, or the node was not previously promoted to the front page
In programming terms: (is_promoted && (is_new OR was_not_previously_promoted))

I've done the following:
1) Created a new 'AND' component
2) Under settings, I added two data types, 'saved content' and 'unsaved content', both of which are of data type 'Node'
3) I added a condition 'Content is promoted to frontpage'
Parameter: Content: [node]'

At this point, in my rule, I add my condition, passing in the node for 'saved content', and the 'unchanged node' for 'unsaved content' and when I create a new node, my action is not triggered. Using the rules debug, I see the following output:

0 ms Reacting on event Before saving content.
12.808 ms Evaluating conditions of rule Notify admins on new to page content. [edit]
13.52 ms Unable to load variable node_unchanged, aborting.
16.976 ms Unable to evaluate condition component_rules_content_promoted_to_front_page. [edit]
...

I know that I'm not using the node_unchanged yet, but I will be using it in further development of the rule.

I cannot understand why Rules is unable to evaluate the condition. The node obviously has the condition (whether true or false), as it's part of core. So why can't Rules evaluate it? Does it have something to do with the abort that comes before it? But if it does, I don't understand, as I'm checking the condition on the 'saved content' node which does exist, not on the 'node_unchanged' node which doesn't exist.

Any thoughts?