Newt is a nerd....

Perhaps I am prejudiced, but likely presidential candidate and former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich is a nerd. Has to be with a name like Newt. He is highly respected for his knowledge of government operations, rules, shortcuts, legal and practical limits, history and capabilities.

Pundits on the political right love him for his political genius and chat show personality. Yet, he recently explained his latest affair with an aide as having to do with being overworked at the office and unable to get home to his wife. That and his recent conversion to Catholicism remind me of a prudent Tony Blair.

I believe part of the reason America accepted John Kennedy as a Catholic was because he didn't behave like one. He was naughty, haughty and decidedly not doctrinaire. He was a Catholic by birth and not conviction which rather let him off the hook as far as the public was concerned.

Newt, on the other hand, has just found God, the true one? The only one? Newt has not yet confided these thoughts on the subject. I should think he should sit down and write a book and reflect on his past affairs rather than attempt becoming our head of state.

I would much prefer the Mormon, Mitt Romney who is not only brilliant but possesses common sense and a good measure of wisdom. He also has a sense of humor. When asked about the former Mormon practice of polygamy, he noted that he has had only one wife while some of our presidents have had more than that. He was undoubtedly referring to Reagan who had been divorced.

The heat is off the Libyan rebels as world attention is glued to Japan and the tsunami aftermath. One, possibly two of Japan’s nuclear power plants is seriously misbehaving giving rise to speculations of another Chernobyl scenario. In real politic terms, Japan has been downgraded with Dow Jones averages rising because a measurable chunk of demand for oil has been removed from the equation. With some demand pressure off oil, prices fall a bit and our stock market is happy with the prospect of Americans spending less on imported oil and more on consumer goods. The market shows no mercy while the final toll in human life is still being calculated.

Some American broadcasters panicked over the prospect of a tsunami hitting our West Coast, never mind Guam, Midway and Hawaii. Devastation was predicted by these few idiots and many Americans were in a dither over what might happen to our coastal resources. This was reminiscent of Orson Well’s 1930's radio broadcast depicting an invasion from outer space.

Most people, however, remained cool and were not overly concerned. Perhaps like myself, I could not see a huge shock wave maintaining its intensity all the way across the Pacific. At last count, we lost one life. A man in a group of three carried out to sea while they were taking pictures of the waves. Search and rescue efforts have been called off. Libya is off the map.

O continues to weigh his choices and options vis-a-vis Libya. Some of us feel that the rebels will all be dead by the time he makes up his mind. I still prefer to let the rebels fight it out without our material aid. If we do assist them, we will regret it. Arabs love us as long as we feed them and give them money.

Several stories have arisen over O and co being out of sinc with one another. Hillary says one thing, Defense Secy Gates another and both are chastised by O for not following the party line. The head of one of our multiple intelligence agencies was asked who he fears the most. He replied China and Russia. As he spoke, VP Biden was being entertained at the Kremlin in Moscow. A fine how-de-do.

I would be surprised if Hillary will be available for a go at a second term. It is difficult to find anything monumental that she has achieved as Secy of State. Indeed, she has been rather lackluster. Gates announced his intention to bail several months ago, so he should be leaving soon. Too bad, I think he is doing a good job and have consistently applauded O for carrying him over from the Bush government.

Gates recently gave a sensible reply to the press over questions about what we should do in Libya. He clearly replied that we need to carefully evaluate any action as the consequences could place us in an untenable position. One correspondent sighted the prospect of our sending humanitarian aid and having one of our ships attacked. ‘What would we do then?’ he asked.

I believe we are beginning to learn some lessons from the past, the past being Korea, Vietnam, Iraq I, Iraq II and Afghanistan. We must learn to think before we pull the trigger regardless of the emotions and pressures of the moment. I would put Gates in the luster category.