Give Credit to Gingrich

by A.B. Stoddard - 09/18/07 12:53 PM ET

The big day approaches — we are just weeks away from hearing whether or not Newt Gingrich announces for president. I doubt he will do it; Gingrich said if the field still lacks the big ideas and bold new direction the party needs he would consider stepping in to fill the void if he can attract the big money. The money part is a big IF, but you can bet the void that exists today will exist weeks from now and beyond.

No matter what you think of Gingrich, give him credit for being the only Republican to admit the truth about the race — that the GOP will hand the White House to Democrats if it doesn’t take back its best asset: President Bush as punching bag. Gingrich said last week that Republicans must break with Bush the way his new hero, Nicolas Sarkozy, broke with President Jacques Chirac to succeed him as president of France. “I believe for any Republican to win in 2008, they have to have a clean break and offer dramatic, bold change,” Gingrich said.

Gingrich said last night on Fox that he advocates an agenda of border control, rigorous enforcement of immigration laws, and a genuine energy policy that liberates the United States from dictators. He warned: “I don’t see that level of change in the Republican Party. In the absence of that we have a real problem.” Of the candidates, he said, “they need to be prepared to draw sharp contrasts with Sen. [Hillary Rodham] Clinton [D-N.Y.] and to be prepared to draw a sharp contrast with business as usual.”

Gingrich believes the GOP base is not happy with the handling of Hurricane Katrina and other Bush adminstration failures. Who will be the candidate to say so? Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has tried to have it both ways, but he won’t break from Bush. Who is betting Republicans just end up sticking to the usual business?

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