Eye on Newt

It seems pretty clear at this point that Newt Gingrich is going to be the next president of the United States. He has everything going for him.

He has deep ties to lobbyists, which means they'll be in excellent position to rig the machines if it looks too tight. He hails from electoral vote-rich Georgia, which ain't peanuts. He doesn't do the flub-a-dub like the pizza guy or Governor Rick. He's already polling at 28 percent, which means he has nowhere to go but up, over the floundering carcass of Mitt Romney, whom Republican primary voters view as Ted Kennedy lite. Plus, Newt hasn't been involved in a sex scandal in 15 years.

It is Newt's time.

Steve Kornacki at Salon offers trenchant analysis. I hope I haven't misquoted him.