Newt!

Finally, an election watcher is saying what I've been saying for weeks - months - now: Newt Gingrich will be the surprise in the Republican field for the 2008 presidential election. Dick Morris has an article up this week making that case.

It's pretty simpleto figure out, really. Newt has been making many, many trips to New Hampshire in the last year. Now, I like New Hampshire. Been there a lot lately, even one week when Newt was there. There's a lot going for the state. But, honestly, the only reason a politician makes repeat trips to New Hampshire in a presidential election cycle is to win support for their early primary. Newt is paying his dues, quietly.

Can Newt win the Republican nomination? Of course he can. Here's why:

- He's known. And experienced.
- He's a strong conservative in a field lacking in strong conservatives.
- He's a winner. He took the Republicans to victory, where his successor Denny Hastert presided over the eventual corruption and complacency that took them to defeat.
- He's a strategist. An idea man. You can't deny that. The man knows where he wants to take us, and why. He's the man behind the "Contract With America", still derided on the left and still supported on the right.

The only question is: will he run?

He's being coy on that point, saying that he will only run if no one makes a strong enough case for the Republicans.

My bet? He'll run (he's not spending all that time in New Hampshire for nothing), and he will have a strong chance of winning the nomination. I like him. I'll support him if he runs.

Newt!