Newt Gingrich on his history-making presidential bid: George Washington and Pearl Harbor combined

By Toby Harnden

For those who figured that Newt Gingrich's failure to supply the requisite 10,000 signatures, including the requisite 400 from all 11 congressional districts, in his home state of Virginia to get on the primary ballot was a sign of his campaign's disorganisation –  think again.
According to Gingrich's campaign manager, it's another Pearl Harbor. You know:  an enemy of freedom (Japan, or the Commonwealth of Virginia) mounting a dastardly surprise attack against a historical colossus (the United States of America, or Newt Gingrich) that will eventually be thwarted by a glorious victory (four years of World War overcoming Germany and Japan, or Gingrich somehow winning the Republican nomination in 2012).
This is what Gingrich's campaign manager Michael Krull said on the candidate's official Facebook page:

Newt and I agreed that the analogy is December 1941: We have experienced an unexpected set-back, but we will re-group and re-focus with increased determination, commitment and positive action. Throughout the next months there will be ups and downs; there will be successes and failures; there will be easy victories and difficult days – but in the end we will stand victorious.

So that's Gingrich comparing his inability to get his act together in his home state with the attack on Pearl Harbor that killed 2,402 Americans. We've always known the former House Speaker views himself as a world historical figure but even for him that's pushing the bounds of self-aggrandisement.
Further evidence that Team Gingrich has lost touch with reality came when Krull issued a statement saying:

We will work with the Republican Party of Virginia to pursue an aggressive write-in campaign to make sure that all the voters of Virginia are able to vote for the candidate of their choice.

Trouble is, Virginia law states: "No write-in shall be permitted on ballots in primary elections." Even a figure of epochal importance for whom none of the normal laws apply cannot get round that one. Certainly, Gingrich can mount a legal challenge – a great use of time and money for a shoestring campaign a few days before Iowa – but there's a clear consensus among those in the know on these things that the chances are it'll make no difference.
Krull also assailed the "failed system" in Virginia that denied Gingrich his divinely-ordained place on the ballot. That's the same plucky Virginia that Gingrich said last week would "disappoint the Republican establishment" by allowing him to compete in the primary. Sour grapes? Certainly sounds like it.
In Arlington, Gingrich's weaknesses as a candidate were on full display: he was an hour late; the crowd was sparse; he talked a lot about himself and his wife  but not much about anyone else; he spoke for just 12 minutes, preferring to spend most of his time posing for pictures in front of a Christmas tree; he was oblivious to the irony as he lambasted Mitt Romney for attacking him; and he was so busy whining about Romney's attack ads that he failed to say anything about his plans for America.
Added to all that was hubris, as he declared:

Once again, Virginia is going to disappoint the Republican establishment bcause tomorrow in Richmond we’re going to turn in vastly more signatures than they need.

To be fair, Gingrich was frank about what had gone wrong in his campaign, saying:

I have to confess we're about 45 to 60 days ahead of where I thought we would be. So we're playing catch-up. I thought we'd be one of the top four in Iowa, we'd probably do pretty well by the time I got to South Carolina. But a couple of weeks ago we became the frontrunner, which of course emeant everyone a shot at us. We weren't ready for it yet because we don't have any struct or money to compete at that level.

That's about where Gingrich's humility ends. Today he released a video invoking George Washington, 1776 and "Victory or Death". It ends with him saying:

We can be in the spirit of General Washington and the Americans who fought for freedom.  We can go out, get the vote out, make the argument, stand up for freedom and I believe we can have as big an impact in helping America remain free in our generation as they did in theirs.

OK. So, George Washington, defeating the British and winning the War of Independence – and getting the vote out for Newt Gingrich in 2012. Pretty much the same thing, I'm sure you'll agree. 1776, 1941, 2012 – hard to tell the difference really.
In case you're not convinced, here's Gingrich, a former history professor, delivering his Christmas lesson on George Washington: