And Now Newt’s Turn

Here is the pattern: A Republican presidential candidate rises to the top as the alternative to Mitt Romney. Whereupon he or she gets knocked off the pedestal. Now it is Newt Gingrich’s turn:

Two polls out Friday show former House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s campaign gaining traction. And both polls show there’s plenty of room for the race to change dramatically: 17% of respondents are undecided.

Newt Gingrich talks to a breakfast crowd during a campaign stop at the Circle Restaurant , Friday, in Epson, N.H. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)

A McClatchy-Marist poll of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents finds that Mitt Romney’s poll numbers remain steady – he generally garners the support of about a quarter of the Republican and Republican-leaning voters. That puts him in the lead, with Mr. Gingrich in second and former front-runner Herman Cain close behind.

By the numbers: Mr. Romney, 23%; Mr. Gingrich, 19%; Mr. Cain, 17%;Texas Rep. Ron Paul 10%; Texas Gov. Rick Perry, 8%, and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, 5%. Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum got 1% apiece.

“Romney is still where he’s been. It’s fair to say this is a battle for the anybody-but-Romney candidate,” said Lee M. Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion at Marist College. “Gingrich has now begun his 15 days of fame. Whether he is able to maintain that, as others have fallen, is the question. He may be the only one standing when this is all said and done.”

via Polls: Gingrich Grows on GOP Voters – Washington Wire – WSJ.

Gingrich has his own womanizing baggage, but he doesn’t have brain freezes. Would you consider him?

Notice that if you add up the percentages for all of the non-Romney candidates, the total comes to far more than Romney’s consistent 20-something percent.