GINGRICH: A walk on the wild side.

Who was the last person to actually cut government? Who was the last person who actually led a movement that balanced the federal budget? . . . The last time there was true welfare reform, the last time government was cut, Gingrich did it.

[W]hen government last made progress he was part of it. They have a very practical sense of politics now. The heroic era of the presidency is dead. They are not looking to like their president or admire him, they just want someone to fix the crisis. The last time helpful things happened in Washington, he was a big part of it. So they may hire him again. Are they put off by his scandals? No. They think all politicians are scandalous.

The criticism of Gingrich reminds me of something I once heard during the time the old Soviet Union collapsed and the Cold War ended: that the Soviets were genuinely fearful that the U.S. was 'crazy enough' to blow them all away. Perhaps it's time to show the world that America is no longer a paper tiger.