Whether he runs or not, the very notion of a Gingrich candidacy says as much about the glum mood among Republicans and the seeming weakness of the current crop of candidates as it does about Mr. Gingrich. Within the party’s powerful conservative base, Mr. Giuliani is tainted by two messy divorces and his generally moderate stands on social policies. Mr. McCain is openly reviled for his support of campaign-finance reform, his previous criticisms of the religious right and his support for easing the path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. Conservatives view Mr. Romney’s Mormon faith and shifting social positions with suspicion.

Since the collapse of the campaigns of former senators Bill Frist of Tennessee and George Allen of Virginia, there’s also no prominent Southerner in a race that Southern voters largely shaped for the past generation. While former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is courting conservatives, Mr. Gingrich, a one-time congressman from Georgia could better fill the void.

Wall Street Journal

Some of Newt’s actions of late really lead me to believe he is going to announce a run in September and the article makes some excellent points. There really is no true conservative champion in the running. I really like Rudy personally, but some of his positions are what keep me from supporting him in the primary at this point. McCain needs no explanation. Romney seems like a nice enough guy, but you just don’t know for sure what he believes. As for Huckabee, he just reminds me of another George W Bush and he supports higher government spending and a welfare state. Sorry, but one President from Arkansas was enough. Do we really want to repeat that??

I think Gingrich is really playing this smooth. Announcing later in the year after the public is sick and tired of hearing about the Big Three could be a breath of fresh air and who knows how much the current front runners could damage themselves by then, allowing Newt to ride in on a white horse to save the day. Plus, he already places well in most primary polls and he hasn’t even announced he is running so that shows he’s the hope in a lot of peoples’ minds.