THE RETURN OF NEWT?

It was beginning to seem as if Giuliani would have the '08 GOP nomination wrapped up by the first day of spring '07 (Gallup now has him beating McCain 44%-20%), but this makes the race a little more interesting:

Is Newt Gingrich having a Jimmy Swaggart moment? On Wednesday, Focus on the Family alerted reporters to an interview with Gingrich that will air tomorrow and Friday on James Dobson's radio show, in which the former House speaker fesses up to "moral failings." According to the press release, ... Gingrich tells Dobson that he has "gotten on his knees and sought God's forgiveness" for his personal failings. Sheesh, sounds like a Kleenex moment, too. But it could signal that Newt thinking more seriously about 2008 than he has previously let on....

In this race, all the dichotomies you're used to hearing about are important -- pro-choice/anti-abortion, South/North, married once/multiply married -- but equally important is

grinds liberals underfoot (and does so with a sadistic smile)/doesn't

Republican voters sense that Rudy is tops among the known candidates on this criterion (they're right) -- but Gingrich has a proven track record on this as well.

So it looks as if he may be getting in the race. If he does, I think he'll take votes away from Giuliani in particular, especially if he can sell the notion that he's the sadistic, gleeful liberal-crusher who loves Jesus.

(And if the God stuff seems odd coming from him, recall that a book he published two years ago included a "Walking Tour of God in Washington, D.C.," also available at his Web site, and note that his latest book is called Redscovering God in America. He may be an opportunistic hypocrite, but he's working at it.)