Gingrich is easily the most intelligent, the most articulate, and perhaps the only truly accomplished potential candidate the GOP has to offer (that is, of course, unless you think campaign finance reform is an accomplishment). We know he's got the hide of an elephant wearing Kevlar, and won't be daunted by attacks on his character (even from his side of the aisle). It's well-known he believes he's formed from Presidential timbre -- it's even been held against him by the MSM and the left. The only question is, does Newt think now is the right time to run?
I know what Morris is saying. I forget if it was him or someone else who said that in Clinton's heyday before the 1996 campaign, it was Bob Dole that came forward and took one for the team, knowing there he only had a snowball's chance. I think Mondale did the same thing for the Dems in 1984 before getting crushed like a bug by Reagan. The big difference this time is that this isn't a re-election campaign, it's the follow-up to a two-term server. I don't have time to do the research, but it must have been decades since the prospects were so dim for the party of an incumbent POTUS.
You know what would really be ironic? If McCain and Feingold won the nominations and ran against each other. Oops! Did I say "ironic"? I meant "tragic."
Gingrich is a glib, draft dodging serial adulterer. See Duncan Hunter for the background and lifestyle that a conservative should model.