I am not a Newt Gingrich fan. I can respect his intellect, his accomplishments as Speaker, and leader of the Republican resurgence in the Congressional elections of 1994. He served a valuable purpose at that time, and he is one of the most respected policy minds out there. For many, Newt Gingrich is the epitome of conservatism and they would dearly love to see him enter the current field of GOP presidential candidates.

I do not share their enthusiasm, for a few reasons.

Firstly, in my opinion Newt has some of the same problems that will dog Hillary Clinton in a general election. For all of his accomplishments, Newt Gingrich has some serious baggage to deal with; namely his previous history of marital infidelity and the fact that many find him totally unlikeable. No one is going to forget that while the GOP was trumpeting family and moral values as make or break issues; Newt was carrying on an adulterous affair of his own. That smacked of the rankest hypocrisy, especially at that time in our history---and neither the media or public is likely to forget it. And Newt is just not a likeable character; there is a sense of meanness in him--see his comments on Bob Novak--and an overwhelming sense that he is always talking down to others. He has to learn that just because you’re the smartest guy in the room doesn’t mean that others have nothing to add to the conversation.

Secondly, I don’t like people that take potshots at others while they sit on the sidelines. I heard Mr. Newt’s assessments of the GOP candidates as “pygmies”, and especially his shot about Fred Thompson leaving TV to get into TV. It is no secret that I am a supporter of Fred Thompson—if he chooses to run ;D—so it is my ox being gored, so to speak. But that’s not really the point, the thing for me is that if you want to take shots get your @ss in the race---then take your shots. By lobbing verbal grenades from the sidelines you make yourself a distraction to those that are actively campaigning, such as Mitt Romney and those that are passively campaigning as Thompson is right now. If you want to be heard, put your hat in the ring so that others can respond to you within the context of their campaigns instead of having to break stride to deal with you. Step up, or sit down---simple as that.

Thirdly, I have a problem with Mr. Newt fawning over powerful Democrats---especially powerful Democrats named Clinton---instead of taking them on. Don’t forget that it was Mr. Newt that was recently singing the praises of one Mrs. B.J. Clinton and her healthcare ideas, and it was Mr. Newt that was willing to forgive and forget Mr. B.J. Clinton’s transgressions after the latter laid the charm down on the former. If you can’t keep from getting stardust in your eyes every time you come into contact with the Clintons, how are you going to possibly defeat the little woman in a presidential race?

Also, I view Mr. Newt as bit of a fraud who is being allowed to live off his “Contract With America” days. But if you take an honest look at what Mr. Newt did then, it was one of the biggest sell-outs in American political history. Mr. Newt and the GOP swept into power by promising movement on a host of conservative issues in their first 100 Hours, which they dutifully acted on. But when the Democrat minority moved to block many of the initiatives, as everyone with a pulse knew would happen, Mr. Newt did not fight to get the initiatives a fair hearing or vote. He basically abandoned them in his pursuit of power and influence, and his answer to the people when they asked about the lack of progress was basically that he had done what he promised to do. He had addressed them in his first 100 Hours as Speaker and that was all he was obliged to do; he had made no promises to fight for the very issues he and the GOP had campaigned on addressing once in power. Is that the type of person you want leading your country and Party: a person that quickly abandons his promises for political expediency?

Finally, I don’t like Mr. Newt’s attitude that he is going to somehow ride in last minute and save the day for the GOP. Mr. Newt promises that if by September or October there’s not a “strong” candidate that HE thinks can beat Hillary Clinton in a general election, he will put on his white hat, pearl handled six-guns, saddle up the white stallion, and ride in to save the day, ala Hop-A-Long Cassidy! Give me a break! My guy, Fred Thompson has been catching it—deservedly—for not being willing to commit to the race, but Mr. Newt thinks that he should be able to saddle the people with a bunch of benchmarks for his entry to the race? What manner of arrogance be this? “I will save the Party, I will be the nominee, and I will be the One.” For my money, if you think that you are the best qualified, that you are the most electable, that you are the ONLY one that can take on Hillary and defeat her then get your clown @ss in the race. Don’t sit on the sidelines and talk the talk, get your behind on the field and walk the walk. As my dear Papa Sang used to say, “You can show me better than you can tell me.” So if Mr. Newt thinks he’s the One, he needs to get in the saddle and let us see what he’s made of.

I know that there are problems with the other GOP candidates: Rudy’s a gun-grabber, Romney flip-flops like a fish out of water, Mike “Who?” Huckabee…’nuff said…, and Fred is taking his sweet time to declare. But Mr. Newt has just as much baggage as any of them and his “Look how smart I am” act wore thin with me a long time ago. But if he wants the GOP nomination, he needs to get in the race and earn it…no one is waiting with baited breath for Mr. Newt to descend on the race from on high.

Like the old saying goes, “If you’re gonna talk the talk, you gotta walk the walk.” So if Mr. Newt wants to be a player, he needs to get his walking shoes on; either that or STFU if he’s not willing to jump into the water.

Time to sh*t or get off the pot!