Newt’s Going to Run, Says Former Campaign Manager

He should know. Newt Gingrich’s former campaign chairman, now a Jacksonville-based political columnist, has analyzed the tea leaves and predicted a presidential run by the porcine one.

Matt Towery says Newt’s admission to James Dobson that he was covering up an affair with an aide while voting to impeach Pres. Clinton for trying to cover up an affair with aide was the capper.

It’s time for me to say it: I’m 100 percent positive that Gingrich will enter the battle for the GOP nomination.

Timing is everything, Towery explains, and Newt’s time is running out.

The real issue for Team Gingrich on a presidential announcement is not if, but when. Newt’s original strategy was to sit by and watch earlier-announced candidates flounder and waste money. That might have seemed workable before nearly all heavily populated states with ambition decided to move their presidential primaries to early February…

[Newt’s] problem is that too many of the key Republican activists and campaign contributors are already joining other campaigns. A check with one of Gingrich’s most prominent sources of major funding confirmed that they might be close to opting for another Republican candidate if Gingrich doesn’t give the proper signals soon.

So is Towery trying to “help” by giving the signal for him? The pundit says former Tenn. Sen. Fred Thompson’s possible announcement is an important factor, but the candidate to beat is Rudy Guiliani.

…which candidate would most need to fall on his face in order for Gingrich to enter the fray?

Rudy Giuliani. That’s right. Many say otherwise, that Gingrich needs another right-wing darling to stumble. But the real fall guy is the former New York City mayor.

By making his “confession” to James Dobson last week, and by then receiving forgiveness from major religious-right leaders, Gingrich outflanked Giuliani and his own publicly unacknowledged transgressions.

These scenarios all make sense. But I can’t see Newt making it through a year-long national campaign without getting on everyone’s last nerve, even Republicans.

Towery is also CEO of InsiderAdvantage and is developing his 1998 book, “Powerchicks: How Women Will Dominate America” into a weekly show. Can’t wait for that one.

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