Nothing Newt Under the Sun

It finally happened today. An announcment 8 or more years in the making.

Newt Gingrich will run for president.

Until now, he's made it an art form to keep the nation guessing on whether or not he would make a run both in '08 and up until this point. He did it, in part because he does love his country and he does feel he has the best ideas to run it. (I disagree), but I won't dispute that. But, Newt also held us hostage as to his decision because he wanted to stay realavent. He wanted to sell books and stay atop the NYT Bestsellers list. He enjoys the money from the speaking circuit.

Newt is the latest in a field of weak Republican cantidates to declare that they will run. A field which has to have any honest Republican voter nervous. Newt won't win the Nomination, he won't even be talked about as a front runner.

Turn back the pages of time and find a President who a) has never been elected state-wide b)never served in the military or c)never served in a Presidential cabinet.

Keep looking....I'll wait. No, further back.

All Newt has won is a Congressional Disctrict. Small potatoes considering the pool of Presidential Campaigning he has dipped his toes into and is now about to dive into. Newt's time as speaker was preceeded by a stint as Minority Whip. His pedecessor in that position: Dick Cheney. His successor: Tom Delay.

Thats a rotten political sandwich.

Almost as rotten is Newts 180 degree turn from unfaithful husband to moral crusader. How can he in the same breath defend his infidelity as "love for his country" and state his case against gay marriage.


Then there's his mistatements in his much awaited announcment today. Politifact called Newt's claim that he "balanced the budget and paid off $405 million dollars in debt" during his time as speaker false.

The truth on the budget: The federal budget runs on a fiscal year calendar that begins October 1 and ends September 30. During fiscal years 1996 and 1997 -- the first two that Gingrich helped shape as speaker -- there were deficits, of $107 billion in 1996 and about $22 billion in 1997.

By fiscal year 1998, the federal budget did reach a surplus of $69 billion. And in fiscal year 1999 -- which Gingrich can claim some responsibility for, even though he was out as speaker for most of the fiscal year -- it was in surplus as well, to the tune of $126 billion.

The truth on debt: The national debt was slightly above $4.8 trillion when Gingrich became House speaker in January 1995. By the time he left the position in January 1999, the debt was more than $5.6 trillion. That’s an increase, not a decrease.

If you look just at the two years Gingrich can claim credit for where the federal government was in surplus -- fiscal years 1998 and 1999 -- the government did pay down about $200 billion in debt. But that would be cherry-picking, because over the full four years of his speakership, the debt rose by about $800 billion.

The other glaring truth is that Newt's political star has likely fallen.

Before he worries about "Winning the future" as president. He may want to worry about winning a primary state. If he doesn't he will no doubt write a book, sign a contract with Fox News and head out on the speaking trail again.

Proving that there really is nothing Newt under the political sun.