Newt's Stragety: Stand to the Right of Bush?

After attending yesterday's briefing with Speaker Gingrich, it is clear to me that he is exploring the option of positioning himself to the right of Bush. Strategically, this makes sense. Think of it this way; let's say you are running for president in the Republican primary, and ...

1. You are philosophically and strategically committed to being a hawk on terror.

2. From a marketing perspective, you realize you must distinguish yourself from both the current president and the other potential Republican candidates. You need to carve out a niche or a unique selling proposition. You must be different than the rest of the pack. You also realize that you cannot win by sitting on your hands and "playing it safe." To win, you must take chances. This will have to be an exciting insurgent campaign.

3. You realize that President Bush is extremely unpopular. You also know that the media loves to quote you any time a Republican is critical of another Republican. Lastly, you know that your campaign will have to rely more heavily on earned media than other traditional campaigns (with more money). Here's an example of the strategy being manifested. According to today's Washington Post:

Former House speaker Newt Gingrich, who is considering a bid for president, called the administration's latest moves abroad a form of appeasement. "We have accepted the lawyer-diplomatic fantasy that talking while North Korea builds bombs and missiles and talking while the Iranians build bombs and missiles is progress," he said in an interview. "Is the next stage for Condi to go dancing with Kim Jong Il?" he asked, referring to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the North Korean leader.

But I'm not solely relying on the mainstream media for my insight on this. During yesterday's conservative briefing at HEO, he frequently quoted Thatcher's maxim that, "first you win the argument, then you win the war." Of course, the implication is that Bush isn't winning the argument.

He said of Reagan, Roosevelt and Lincoln: "They're not great communicators -- they're great educators."

Bush was conspicuously missing from list.