I have no disagreement with your analysis (up to a point), as I now recall. Newt suggested that the candidates refrain from attacking each other in response to the baiting questions - but - Mitt was there to take Newt out and would not be deterred from delivering his attack lines.
The point where I would go a bit further is: Newt should have realized that Romney is just another LIBERAL and dealt with him from that perspective.
He was certainly caught off guard and that indicates a weakness/flaw. I would like to see him get the opportunity to show that he has corrected this weakness/flaw.
Well, we’ll never know for sure what might have happened, but I do know this: Newt was running away with the race without ever criticizing any other Republican one bit. They were all at each other - Mitt V Bachmann V Perry V Pawlenty V etc - and Newt was criticizing Obama, the media, academia nuts, congress, etc.
If a genie could grant me one wish, it would be to simply see what would have happened had Newt ignored Mitt and simply kept firing at Obama. I think the entire non Mitt contingent would have rallied around him at that time and this race would be over. I really deeply believe that. But we’ll never know now.