As I've said before, the odds that Newt runs for president in 2012 are as low as they were in 2008. Still, you've got to love the way he carefully constructs excuses he can use for when he ultimately decides not to toss his hat in the ring.
For 2008, he said he'd run if his supporters raised $30 million; when they didn't ante up, he didn't run. Now, he's putting the onus on his grandchildren. From the Richmond Times-Dispatch (via Ben Smith):
"Callista and I will look seriously and we'll probably get our family totally engaged, including our two grandchildren, probably in January, 2011, Gingrich told reporters during a sit-down interview before last night's speech.
"We'll look seriously at whether or not we think its necessary to do it. And if we think it's necessary we'll probably do it. And if it isn't necessary we probably won't do it." [Emphasis added.]
Yes, Newt's--and our--future will be determined by a 7-year-old and a 9-year-old. For 2016, I expect the Gingrich family dog will be the final arbiter.
--Jason Zengerle