Yep. And their (liberal) political views aside, McCain is even more personally unlikeable than Newt. An old, angry, unlikeable liberal won the last GOP nomination. That's how far the party has fallen. So yeah, don't discount Gingrich.
McCain won because he was the most famous.
Gingrich is currently the most famous of the declared candidates (Palin is 12% more famous than Gingrich).