Newt Me No More

It must have been quite a moment. After months of relentlessly licking those thin lips in anticipation of decapitating Bill Clinton, suddenly out of nowhere, Newt had his own head in his hands. "Dang!" He must have screamed. He must have ranted around looking for someone to blame. "Marrianne and I could really use a break." So what does the great man do? After being resoundingly reelected by his Georgia district he drops the Speakership and then leaves Congress. Hey, Newt? You had a contract there. They voted for you, you serve the term. It wasn't optional, really. You broke the public trust. What? If you can't have the bid desk you're going home? Baby.

In the end, we see the whole of Newt was less than the parts. A great leader surprises with his or her character in good times and bad. This leader showed his colors in defeat. In the moment of failure he screwed those who loved him most.

Oh, well. We warned you all along. Now as he crawls into his place in history, hopefully other men and women will step to the plate. Well, so far, it's all men in that party. As things change, they mostly stay the same.