Newt Gingrich: To know him is to oppose him

If the Iowa Caucuses were held today, Newt Gingrich would win in a walk. He is far ahead in South Carolina and Florida. He is closing the gap in New Hampshire. He's way ahead nationally among Republican voters. At the moment, he appears to be the most likely Republican nominee for president in 2012. And if you're a Republican, that's cause for concern.

Last night I heard David Brooks say that of all the Republican congressmen and former congressmen who served with Newt Gingrich when he was speaker whom he has asked, only two think that he would be a credible presidential nominee. Brooks said that there were occasions while he was Speaker when Gingrich was accompanying other Republican leaders in the House to press conferences in order to announce their position on an issue- and on the way changed his mind, and did a 180 degree flip on the issue by the time he got to the rostrum!

The guy is a genius; no question. But he's also erratic, impulsive, scattered, and a ticking time bomb. There is no telling what he is going to do or say next.

Peggy Noonan has a fine article on Gingrich in the Wall Street Journal, and his pros and cons as a potential opponent for President Obama. The thing about Gingrich, Noonan writes, is that "it's all true:"

Ethically dubious? True. Intelligent and accomplished? True. Has he known breathtaking success and contributed to real reforms in government? Yes. Presided over disasters? Absolutely. Can he lead? Yes. Is he erratic and unreliable as a leader? Yes. Egomaniacal? True. Original and focused, harebrained and impulsive—all true.

Never mind that the polls show him to be a much weaker opponent for Mr. Obama than Mitt Romney. Never mind that he has little or no chance of successfully reaching out to the independents and moderates who the Republican nominee will have to win over in order to be elected. Never mind that Gingrich's negative rating among these voters- and the electorate generally- is as miserable as it is favorable among registered Republicans.

The guy is a loose cannon. Even if he were more competitive a potential nominee than he is, there is no telling what Gingrich is going to come out with from day to day.

That's a big problem in a presidential nominee- and an even bigger problem in a president.

HT: Drudge