It's Over

Undisputed Loser and Winner

Despite his brilliance and often-great analysis, I had my doubts about Gingrich. The events of the past few days, however, have convinced me that he cannot and will not be the nominee. It's definitely one of those "What was he thinking?" moments. Gingrich has proven himself to be erratic and unreliable. He apologized to Paul Ryan for his stunning and absurd attack, but the damage to his credibility has been done.

MSNBC gets it right:

On NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich said that the central test he will face in the 2012 campaign will be “whether I have the discipline and the judgment to be president.”

In the last 48 hours – after Gingrich expressed support for insurance mandates and linked Rep. Paul Ryan’s fiscal plan to “right wing social engineering” -- some conservatives have offered their own answers to that question.

And it’s not good news for the presidential hopeful. As Tuesday wore on, it didn't get much better.

The Wall Street Journal editorial page skewered Gingrich on Tuesday, writing that his comment on the Ryan plan “reveals the Georgian's weakness as a candidate, and especially as a potential President—to wit, his odd combination of partisan, divisive rhetoric and poll-driven policy timidity.”

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, whose state’s position as the third-in-the-nation primary makes her endorsement especially coveted, chimed in as well, calling Gingrich’s position on Ryan’s plan “absolutely unfortunate.”

“When you have a conservative fighting for real change, the last thing we need is a presidential candidate cutting him off at the knees,” she told CNN. ...

And this barrage of reproach came before Politico reported that between 2005 and 2006, Gingrich carried as much as $500,000 in debt to Tiffany’s, the luxury jewelry company. It’s not yet clear whether Gingrich has since paid off the debt or not, but as a presidential candidate he will have to file a personal financial disclosure form.

I feel that I should add here that the one man who comes out of all of this looking great is Paul Ryan. All the other candidates are outdoing each other to be the most vociferous in their defense of Ryan, proving that he is the man at the top. The instantaneous, fierce and collective reaction, from Republican leaders to regular citizens, seeking to shield Ryan from Gingrich's attack proves something about his (Ryan's) stature in the Party.

Again, should he run for higher office? Answer: YES.