John R. Bohrer: War Room What Newt's Really Running For (Hint: It's Not President)
[John R. Bohrer is currently writing a book about Senator Robert Kennedy and his young aides]
The Los Angeles Times recently marked the 50th anniversary of the 1960 Democratic National Convention by posting a few rare photos from its archive. In one, a group of young intellectuals prop up signs for the last-minute effort to draft two-time nominee Adlai Stevenson. What slogan do you pick for a candidate who has just been rejected in consecutive landslides?
"America wants him NOW."
America most certainly didn't want him, but the other main contenders -- John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson -- looked flawed enough that perhaps Stevenson could get his name on the ballot, or at least get the presidential treatment one more time. The whiff of the presidency had always enticed him, just as it has with Newt Gingrich, whose flirtation with the Oval Office began anew this month when he declared in Iowa, "I've never been this serious [about a White House bid]."
But do not be fooled: "This serious" isn't that serious. Like Stevenson, Newt Gingrich isn't running for president (though he'll go along with an "if-you-must-have-me" nomination, if they're offering). What Gingrich is going for is something closer to running for ex-president....
Read entire article at Salon
The Los Angeles Times recently marked the 50th anniversary of the 1960 Democratic National Convention by posting a few rare photos from its archive. In one, a group of young intellectuals prop up signs for the last-minute effort to draft two-time nominee Adlai Stevenson. What slogan do you pick for a candidate who has just been rejected in consecutive landslides?
"America wants him NOW."
America most certainly didn't want him, but the other main contenders -- John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson -- looked flawed enough that perhaps Stevenson could get his name on the ballot, or at least get the presidential treatment one more time. The whiff of the presidency had always enticed him, just as it has with Newt Gingrich, whose flirtation with the Oval Office began anew this month when he declared in Iowa, "I've never been this serious [about a White House bid]."
But do not be fooled: "This serious" isn't that serious. Like Stevenson, Newt Gingrich isn't running for president (though he'll go along with an "if-you-must-have-me" nomination, if they're offering). What Gingrich is going for is something closer to running for ex-president....