Newt Enters The Race With Guns Blazing...At His Feet.

Kind of surprising that Newt Gingrich would roll out his presidential campaign by flaunting Reagan's 11th commandment, and directing his opening salvo at Paul Ryan and his budget plan.

So I guess Newt's got a better one? Ah, no:

Newt Gingrich’s appearance on “Meet the Press” today could leave some wondering which party’s nomination he is running for. The former speaker had some harsh words for Paul Ryan’s (and by extension, nearly every House Republican’s) plan to reform Medicare, calling it “radical.”

“I don’t think right-wing social engineering is any more desirable than left-wing social engineering,” he said when asked about Ryan’s plan to transition to a “premium support” model for Medicare. “I don’t think imposing radical change from the right or the left is a very good way for a free society to operate.”

As far as an alternative, Gingrich trotted out the same appeal employed by Obama/Reid/Pelosi — for a “national conversation” on how to “improve” Medicare, and promised to eliminate ‘waste, fraud and abuse,’ etc.

....In another surprising move, Gingrich also reiterated his previous support for a “variation of the individual mandate” for health care. “I believe all of us — and this is going to be a big debate — I believe all of us have a responsibility to help pay for health care,” he said...

The only word missing from that sentence is "collectively, as in "I believe all of us have a responsibility to collectively help pay for health care”.

Just because you didn't say it, Newt, doesn't mean I didn't hear it.

Why go after Paul Ryan, the hottest star in the party, and arguably the sharpest knife in the Congressional drawer? It's not as if he's running for president (yet). Perhaps Newt, a man known for his vanity (or perhaps insecurity? This article by John Podhoretz is quite revealing) sees in Ryan a young version of himself, the rare Congressman who becomes a national figure and drives the national debate. Is Newt tearing Ryan down, consciously or otherwise,in order to retain his own unique legacy?

Newt reminds me a bit of Barack Obama - infatuated by his own intelligence, flattered by his sycophants, and utterly convinced that he is the smartest man in the room.  And a right-wing version of Barack Obama is the last thing we need.  Eight years of demagoguery from alternating sides of the pendulum will be enough to send this nation into revolt.

Of course, their is another rationale for Newt's actions - from the comments at the above link:

Confirms my suspicion that newtered man isn't serious about winning the GOP nod, he just wants to ad "former presidential candidate" to his resume so he can up his speaking fee and get on more talk shows.

Alas, if true. But these days I won't discount anything.

And speaking for myself - I wouldn't vote for Newt Gingrich for dog-catcher.  Any man who demands a divorce from his wife while she lies in a hospital bed recovering from cancer surgery is one heartless son of a bitch who thinks of nobody or nothing save for himself and his own wants and desires.

Which explains a lot of the above, actually...as well as the below: