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After many feints in this direction dating back to 1996, Newt Gingrich seems to be finally preparing a run for president. Generally, he is not being taken as seriously as potential candidates like Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney, and Mike Huckabee—or even D.C. insider heartthrobs such as Haley Barbour, Mitch Daniels, and Chris Christie. I agree with this assessment of Gingrich’s potential, to an extent; he’s the opposite of a fresh new face, and the guy’s baggage rivals Charlie Sheen’s. Yet having carefully watched Gingrich up close since he was a Rockefeller Republican in the 1970s, I also know that he...

No longer constrained by campaign advisers who insisted on such conventions as “message discipline,” Gingrich fulminated against President Obama, the news media, activist judges and assorted other liberal bogeymen for 41 minutes here Thursday night. It was classic Newt – slashing attacks, an array of ideas, and a few plugs for his website. All jumbled together with little cohesion. The former speaker, it seems, is very much enjoying the post-consultant phase of his candidacy. Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0611/57183.html#ixzz1PVO4yauY

Am in DC tonight with some very well-placed strong Conservatives. Pardon any typos. We did some serious discussing with liquid fuel tonight. They are overjoyed. If reports about Huckabee being out are true, and although not confirmed, seem to be, that removes 2 of the 3 strong Conservative Southerners for 2012. With Barbour and Huckabee out, that leaves the vital South to Gingrich. Gingrich has the winning mesage for 2012; "We have all suffered under 4 years of far-left liberal glitz. I may not be as cute as Mr. Obama, I may not read the teleprompter as well as Mr....

Mike Barnicle has greeted Newt Gingrich's announcement of his presidential candidacy with a sneer, calling the former Speaker of the House "a delusional loser." The former Kennedy-clan retainer and Boston Globe columnist seasoned his attack with some snobbery, disparaging Gingrich's educational background. Barnicle spewed his bile on today's Morning Joe. View video here.

Newt Gingrich’s appearance on “Meet the Press” today could leave some wondering which party’s nomination he is running for. The former speaker had some harsh words for Paul Ryan’s (and by extension, nearly every House Republican’s) plan to reform Medicare, calling it “radical.” “I don’t think right-wing social engineering is any more desirable than left-wing social engineering,” he said when asked about Ryan’s plan to transition to a “premium support” model for Medicare. “I don’t think imposing radical change from the right or the left is a very good way for a free society to operate.” As far as an...

Discussion on the Sunday talk shows centered on the budget and the looming debt ceiling, with House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) on CNN’s State of the Union and House Speaker John Boehner (Ohio) on CBS’s Face the Nation. Domestic energy production and the ongoing turmoil in the Middle East also were addressed. Meet the Press (NBC) Gingrich: Paul Ryan' s plan is "right-wing social engineering," goes too far Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R) explained that he felt compelled to run for president because "to not seek to help the country to fix the problems we have would...

How is your week going? Most likely its going much better than GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich. Why? Just days after officially announcing his candidacy, respected political pundit Charles Krauthammer said of Gingrich’s candidacy “It’s done, it’s over.” Last night during an appearance on On the Record Newt continued to walk back his Sunday critique of Paul Ryan’s health care plan, in a stark manner. To say that Gingrich is in crisis mode is not necessarily hyperbole. The former House Speaker and GOP thought leader has been toying with running for president for what seems like years now, and coming...

Another Republican operative said he had spoken with an old friend of Gingrich's in the South who had been planning a fundraiser for the campaign. There were 18 co-chairs for the event until Gingrich's appearance on "Meet the Press" Sunday, where he labeled Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-Wisc.) proposed budget "radical" and "right-wing social engineering." "He said like 13 of them dropped off within 24 hours of 'Meet the Press,'"

By the time they're done with him, GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich will look like a leading Democratic spokesman as the party moves quickly to harness his attacks on Republican plans to change Medicare. According to party sources, they plan to use Gingrich's assault on House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan's plan in a bid to knock down every Republican who voted for it. "By calling Paul Ryan's budget 'radical' and 'right-wing social engineering,' Newt merely echoed criticisms millions of Americans across the political spectrum have voiced at house Republicans' budget for weeks now," says Ryan Rudominer, a Democratic consultant...

“I want to make sure every House Republican is protected from some kind of dishonest Democratic ad. So let me say on the record, any ad which quotes what I said on Sunday is a falsehood, because I have publicly said those words were inaccurate and unfortunate.” A grateful nation thanks you, Newt Gingrich. The presidential campaign is just starting, and already you’ve given us a passage that will live in infamy — forever — in the annals of American political speech. Your delightful quotation shall be filed under “fiascos” and flagged with a cross-reference to “utter nonsense.” I can’t...

Support for former House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s presidential campaign has virtually evaporated, dropping to just 3 percent among likely Republican primary voters, a new IBOPE Zogby poll reveals. That’s down from 7 percent in a May 6-9 poll, meaning Gingrich has lost more than half his support in the new poll conducted May 20-23. Asked to choose from among 13 possible GOP presidential candidates in 2012, poll respondents chose eight Republicans ahead of Gingrich, including several who, unlike Newt, have not announced their candidacy: Herman Cain (19 percent), Chris Christie (16 percent), Mitt Romney (11 percent), Ron Paul (9 percent),...

I want to call this a palate cleanser, but it’s so acidic — especially his memory of the sign in Newt’s office on the Hill — that it’s more likely to burn your tongue. Can’t use it as evidence of the upswell in conservative anger towards Newt after his MTP appearance either, I’m afraid: Coburn is a Gingrich critic of loooongstanding, which makes this less of a standard “what happened to Newt?” lament than a bitter “I told you so.” To follow up on an earlier analogy, it’s as if Coburn jumped into the ring, pushed Drago aside, and started...

According to Gallup’s latest positive-intensity survey among Republicans and independents, Newt Gingrich … doesn’t have much. Calculated from the difference between strongly positive and strongly negative responses, Gingrich fell to his lowest level of the spring at 6 points, down from a peak of 19. Gingrich now trails almost the entire GOP field in this measure: Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich’s Positive Intensity Score dropped to 6 in the two weeks spanning May 16-29, down from 11 for May 9-22. Gingrich’s current Positive Intensity Score is his lowest to date, off from a score as high as 19...

... This week Gingrich also released his 24th book, with many of his upcoming campaign stops doubling as marketing events for his book and movies, raising more questions about the true intentions of the campaign. "If he's being driven by book sales, and movie openings and things like that, that doesn't fit into a traditional campaign," said Reed. Also raising questions from independent watchdog groups is the operation of a charity Gingrich founded, called Renewing American Leadership. Its website contained ads for Gingrich's books -- taken down after ABC News asked about them -- and posted his positions on political...

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Let’s consult the literature — all 21 books by the self-proclaimed ideas man of politics. (Gingrich cites 23 books on his Web site. We are not counting the Contract With America or the coffee-table book “Ronald Reagan: Rendezvous With Destiny.”) When his top campaign staff abandoned him not long ago, Newt Gingrich didn’t seem terribly surprised. “Philosophically, I am very different from normal politicians,” he said. “We have big ideas.” The “we,” as Gingrich uses it here, is akin to the royal we — it’s what might be called the professorial we, employed when the intellectual and the ideas he...

Newt Gingrich raised about $2.1 million for his presidential campaign this quarter and spent nearly $1.8 million, according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission. He ended the period with slightly more than $300,000 cash on hand. Among the disbursements: $8,400 to Gingrich Productions, a Washington, D.C.-based company that lists Callista Gingrich, the candidate's wife, as president. Gingrich spokesman R.C. Hammond said the campaign paid Gingrich Productions for use of the domain name Newt.org. The Federal Election Commission requires that campaigns apply fair market value to such transactions.

ATLANTA (AP) -- Newt Gingrich's presidential campaign is more than $1 million in debt, according to his campaign disclosure provided to The Associated Press on Friday.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) said Tuesday that he regrets making a commercial with then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on the need to address climate change. Gingrich, who partnered with Pelosi while she was Speaker for the 2008 ad, said the spot was "misconstrued," and for that reason, he wouldn't do it again. "I was trying to make a point that we shouldn't be afraid to debate the left, even on the environment," Gingrich said on WGIR radio of the 30-second television commercial. "Obviously it was misconstrued, and it's probably one of those things I wouldn't do again." That commercial...

Newt Gingrich's presidential dreams are in tatters this afternoon after his entire high command resigned in a mass exodus today. The Republican hopeful's campaign manager, senior strategists and key aides in early delegate-selection states all walked out this afternoon, but refused to say why - other than a 'difference in direction'. Rick Tyler, Gingrich's spokesman, said he, campaign manager Rob Johnson and senior strategists were among those who had resigned. 'When the campaign and the candidate disagree on the path, they've got to part ways,' Mr Tyler told the Washington Post this afternoon.