The Case for a Newt Candidacy

When Newt Gingrich makes noises about running for president, as he did again this week, eyes roll all over America. He’s deeply unpopular, according to polls, and it seems too late to mobilize a serious campaign. But Newsweek sees an opportunity for the former House speaker in the gloom surrounding the GOP. Gingrich could be a postmodern Barry Goldwater, honorably articulating the conservative platform in defeat.

Gingrich drew headlines recently when he told Republican candidates to abandon George Bush and pegged the Democrats’ general election chances at 80%. If he's right about that, conservatives might warm to Gingrich as a vote they could at least take pride in casting, sacrificing electability for ideology. Newt’s plan to spread that ideology? Skip TV ads and mail DVDs to every voter. (More Newt Gingrich stories.)