Toots Own Horn

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R.-Ga.) said last week he would probably seek the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 if no clear front runner emerges by the fall of 2007. “If at that point, there’s still a vacuum … then we’ll probably do something,” Gingrich said in a talk at the Brookings Institute. “If you are interested in defining the idea context and the political context for the next generation of Americans, which I am, the most effective way to do that is to be seen as potentially available.” Assessing the current performance of Republicans and Democrats, Gingrich said, “We have a choice between those who are failing to deliver and those who are unthinkable.”