GioBlog

Holding out for Newt

Regarding the field of possible Republican Presidential nominees, put me in the camp of people who are still holding out for Newt.

And so I'm encouraged by Dick Morris' column today in The Hill.

The irony of the GOP field at the moment is that while most Republicans are conservatives, the two frontrunners — Rudy and McCain — are moderates. And this isn’t Nelson Rockefeller’s Republican Party anymore! Gingrich is filling a real political need and if he moves out smartly and files his paperwork, takes his announcement bows, and journeys to Iowa and New Hampshire as a candidate, he might well be a contender.

Morris is right. Neither Romney nor McCain nor Giuliani are capable of garnering broad conservative support. Remember that it was the South Carolina primary where Bush passed McCain in the last Republican Presidential primary race, never to look back. Ask yourselves, "Which of Romney, McCain and Giuliani are South Carolinians most likely to be fired up about?"

Answer: None of the above. Same is true of Texans.

Gingrich, despite his caricature, will trounce them all in debates. Gingrich is the sunny, optimistic one. Gingrich is the only true political intellectual in the possible field of candidates.

Am I concerned about Newt? Yes. I'm worried that he's not self-disciplined enough, and I worry that he can't delegate. But I'm willing to take that chance after having watched Bush masquerading as a conservative for eight years and squandering everything we have been working toward.

Get in, Newt.