I scanned the diary saying that Gingrich was sunk by admitting an affair during the Clinton impeachment farce. The point was that Gingrich is now beyond the Pale and unable to win the GOP nod.
Have we not been paying attention? Have we not been reading our Daily Dose of Digby?
Gingrich dropped his little revelation at James Dobson's Klan rally. Consider the setting. He admitted to his affair in front of the backbone of Wingnutia. If they learn about it now, they can forgive him, have a nice prayer and move on. So Gingrich is a serial philanderer? How does this separate him from Rudy Giuliani?
Gingrich's announcement is a way of clearing this issue off the decks early. Why announce this at all if he's not running? If Dobson comes out with a few other Pharisees and announces Gingrich ritually clean, then he's in the race and carries the endorsement of the conservative base.
But surely he will be rejected by those "values voters"! Riiiight. They will turn instead to John McCain, whom they have never trusted. They will turn instead to Mitt "Gaymarriage" "Universalhealthcare" "Massachusetts" Romney? They will turn instead to Rudy Giuliani and HIS record of wrecking marriages like a five year old playing with matchbox cars?
As Digby has amply explained, being a "values voter" is a tribal identity, not an expression of moral philosophy. Gingrich is "one of them". He's clean on the Wingnut "Sniff Test". Now that he's innoculated himself against the inevitable revelation of yet ANOTHER affair, he will enter the race to expound upon his "ideas". Maybe he can have a laying on of hands by Ted Haggard...
And he's got as good a shot as anyone on the right to win the nomination.