A Newt-ered Campaign

As is often the case, the Onion has probably nailed the sentiment better than any news analyst could...
Even Newt Gingrich a Little Depressed By Prospect of Him Running for President

There are at least three reasons why the almost-entirely-soon-to-be-really-this-time official Newt Gingrich campaign for president is a bad idea. Either it's going to bomb now or bomb later, but either way it's a disaster so bad he might as well hire Irwin Allen to be his campaign manager. (True, Irwin Allen is currently mostly dead. But then, so is the campaign).

Of the three reasons, only one has really been discussed by media and commentators.

The obvious one is "the bio thing". 17 years passing since the Contract With America and taking back the House (wow, math makes me feel old), that doesn't change his history of divorces and infidelity and whatnot. Now, he didn't especially help his case by being on TBN or whatever it was saying his marriage broke up because of his overwhelming sense of patriotism and love of country. That was just a useless statement, which... if you listen to the larger explanation... is slightly less of a useless statement. Which leads me to

#2 he's a professor, and professors make crap politicians.

Politicians have to be able to say what they're gonna say in... well less words than this little rant, certainly. Professors have to fill 45 minutes or more. There's a reason why attorneys are often good in politics. Moving a jury plucked from the general public is a lot like moving the general public --- peppering them with nuggets they can remember always helps as their form opinions.

#3 He got outflanked by the Clintons. Badly.

When it came time to implement the Contract with America, drive a stake through the heart of wasteful government... and oh yeah bringing impeachment charges, there can be no real argument that the Clintons ran circles around Newt. So much so that it's basically what led to him leaving DC with tail firmly tucked.

Fast forward a couple of years, and the same Clinton machine was somewhat surprisingly taken out by Obama, Ivan Drago vs. Apollo Creed style.

So, now Newt, who lost badly to the guy who lost badly to the guy... wants to take on the team that whipped the team that whipped him.

It won't be pretty.

Or particularly enjoyable.