to watch him in the debates.  I disagree with most of what he says, but I will give him a compliment similar to the one he gave Hillary.  His answers are wrong, but he raises the right questions.  He's also a very bright man who is, at least, willing to enterain big ideas.  But he frequently comes off as an arrogant know-it-all, which is why, unfortunately for him, he'd make a less than successful candidate. But there's a lot of the Republican base who are disappointed right now.

somebody had to say it.  ;)

At least from a policy perspective, I think Newt is the sort of candidate they're lacking.  He is knowledgeable, consistent, and seen as  a reliable conservative.  At the same time, he has shown more interest in finding solutions to problems such as health care than any of the Republicans.

The guy is smart.  He has been willing to challenge Republican ostrichism on occasion.  He is the closest thing to an Al Gore that they have although not very close.

the Bush tax cuts and making a quick call to Geico to save hundreds on car insurance....or was that the Geko?  At least he could focus the Republicans on the importance of stopping global warming, being named after an amphibian and all.

It is not the country of Daily Kos or Liberal Internet Mavens.

The dialogue here is so lame that I'd expect a Republican come back in 2012.

Gingrich is someone we'd have to take seriously.  The current field suffers from being too tied to the war, inconsistent records, too conservative, etc.

Not to praise Gingrich, but he is the most policy driven.  It's a loss for the Republicans, blind blue analysts notwithstanding.

And what do Daily Kos or the "Liberal Internet Mavens" have to do with the Newt-ster?  Personally, I think the guy's a buffoon, although compared to the current crop of Republican candidates he's Albert Einstein.  The other Republican candidates are still trying to figure out whether global warming exists and is caused by humans, something even the freakin' Bush White House now admits!  Duhhhhhh.

wasn't that popular to begin with among the faithful.  I think he was like Cindy Sheehan, in that every Republican was thankful with his takeover of Congress, but after miscalculating with government shutdowns being blamed on President Clinton, the coups to replace him began. I think there were about three if I remember right. And then you go back to the shutdowns,  I was volunteering at the Lee Mansion at that time and I remember them not needing me because the Lee Mansion was part of the Department of the Interior, which is part of the Federal Government, which was shutdown. Not once but twice. Now I was a volunteer, so I didn't have anything to lose, but you think of all those employed by the Feds.  If Newt entered the race, revenge would of never have been so sweet. That's with Federal workers holding a gruge. Then you have cultural conservatives who were on their little crusade to hold the Clintons accountable for no family values and whatnot, and with Gingrich they were doing so well, until it was found out that Gingrich was dating a lady that looked like Hillary who was not his wife.  Then, after he won reelection in 98 to continue as Representative from Georgia, he resigns from Congress.  In my mind, there were just too many skeltons in the closet. And you think the GOP race is in a fateful wreck now, that's nothing compared to what a Gingrich candidacy promised.

  As for Newt being the smartest in the room, it was in the 90s that I first heard the airplane joke about its going to crash and there were four parachutes and a bookbag...