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Perhaps I will phrase it this way. What makes you trust him? I am not averse to it, but tell me why I should not regard him as opportunistic, basically saying what we want to hear

First, I don't trust any man...I trust God to move men... and for the discernment to understand their motives as well as their positions. If I'm uncertain I investigate further until I'm as certain as possible.

I spent considerable time looking at Newt's history...both personal and political as well as his families. The more I saw the more it was obvious I had underestimated Newt a great deal. Still I looked for further confirmation which only reinforced what I was seeing in this man.

You have to know what's candidate wants and desires and how that lines up with what you know is significant to you...and be willing to let God move you where he wants your understanding to be.

Frankly Newt simply was not on my radar in the beginning... honestly didn't consider him...so when the candidate I did want decided not to run it was time to 'seriously' look at others...and not just hitch to the current bandwagon.

Newt...... knows how to play his cards right when he doesn't have the money machine that Romney has..... He said not too long ago that he was just waiting for the 2 front runners to either err or drop out..... Romney err'd with etch-a-sketch, even though he didn't exactly say it. Santorum dropped out... Newt was right.

Now it's his turn to surge yet again, and he will. It may be a bit late, but it may also be just enough to get him to the convention, and if that happens, watch out Mitt.

"What kind of candidate is most likely to be able to make sense of the terrible events and forces that weigh down our country,... be capable of vividly describing our plight and what needs to be done ....and convince the public that he has the intelligence, courage, experience and sheer will to force events favorably to America’s historic interests and needs?"..... the question answers itself... It is GOP candidate Newt Gingrich.

But most Washington politicians don’t see it that way. They see a 'conventional' close election - not a bold, historic lunge by the voters to save the country....... They suggest Mitt Romney may be best positioned to stitch together a safe campaign that noses out President Obama by a point or two, or comes up short by a point or two.... So they went out doubling down on their early bet telling reporters that Newt was never much of a leader and never got much done.

And yet most of them enthusiastically following his leadership year after year as Republican whip from 1989 to 1994. ...It was the most successful congressional opposition movement since Benjamin Disraeli formed the modern Conservative Party in Britain in the mid-19th century.

And after the GOP took back the House for the first time in 40 years (and the Senate, too, by the way),.. Newt’s four years as speaker proved to be the most productive, legislative congressional years since at least 1965 to 67, and they were led by Lyndon B. Johnson from the White House.

Working against - and with - Democratic President Bill Clinton, we passed into law most of the Contract With America, welfare reform, telecommunications reform (which ushered in the modern cellphone and Internet age) and the first balanced budget since before the Vietnam War, and we cut taxes and lowered unemployment to less than 5 percent.

Just who the heck do all these professional political wizards think managed all that? ...Newt led it all!... Newt’s methods were not orthodox. He modified the seniority committee chairman system and picked the best members for the key posts. ...More than a few feathers got ruffled.

One of his key insights was to recognize that the two-dozen Northeastern moderates and liberals in the GOP caucus held the balance of power - we didn’t have 218 safe conservative votes in the House...... Newt needed to prevent them from playing off the GOP against the Democrats (which is what such a faction in any congressional party normally tries to do),... but rather feel fundamental loyalty and value in sticking with the GOP working majority.... To do that, they had to get some of the provisions that they wanted in bills often enough that they would stick with conservatives on other issues.

This required a lot of maneuvering by Newt. Conservative members got frustrated that he did that.... They called that erratic behavior on Newt’s part..... No, it was necessary and calculated maneuvering..... He was actually shrewdly managing a precarious majority. ...If he hadn’t kept the Northeastern liberals in the fold, very little would have been accomplished in those spectacular four years of legislating and leading.

But when it came to fundamental conservative principles and the political strategies necessary to protect them, Newt saw the threats to them and never wavered.....

When Newt was speaker, he refused to raise taxes, he made a political fight of spending cuts with Bill Clinton (paying a big price in personal smears run against him), but we won the historic balanced budgets.

In dangerous times, the safer choice for president is not the candidate who has always played it safe, nor is it the candidate who has not already faced and defeated adversity.

These exerts from a man who had worked with Newt shed light on many issues...the whole story is spell bounding and Jim actually had a thread on it. It was further validation for me. You may not agree with his policies or solutions. You may abhor his failures. You may not like or support Newt....... what you cannot do is ignore his accomplishments.....

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/dec/12/newts-past-and-future-leadership/