Abandon Ship

On "Hardball" last night, Chris Matthews likened the mass exodus of Newt Gingrich's presidential campaign staff to Captain Bligh being left in a rowboat after the mutiny on the Bounty. Eh, not quite. This is more like Fletcher Christian and his crewmates getting in rowboats and leaving Captain Bligh in charge of an empty ship. Interestingly, the dust-up that caused this mass resignation was provoked by Gingrich's two-week vacation cruise in the Aegean islands off the coast of Greece (three weeks into his campaign) with Wife Number 3. A vacation? From what? Gingrich barely got his campaign started, and he's already taking it easy? I like the way Bill Maher put it - the campaign staff fired the candidate!

As the captain of an empty vessel, Gingrich has proven to be an empty suit. Unable to command any respect or support, he's put the best possible spin on his latest setback (we should be glad he never became a PR man) and promises that his campaign will begin anew starting Monday. Never mind that Gary Hart actually had more backers when he re-entered the 1988 presidential campaign after his sex scandal.

It's been said - and pretty much understood - that Gingrich is only running for President to have a platform for his ideas and to essentially show how learned he is. (I take it back; apparently he has become a PR man, for himself.) He's living proof that even smart guys do and say stupid things. He'll pop off throughout the debate cycle, as long as anyone can stand him - I give him two weeks - and he'll then quietly slip away into that realm of irrelevance that everyone wishes Anthony Weiner would enter.

Meanwhile, some of Gingrich's ex-aides are encouraging Texas governor James R. "Rick" Perry to run for President, seeing him, with his relatively strong economic record in the Lone Star State, as the best chance to beat President Obama. Given Perry's loutishness, I would have to conclude that these former Gingrich aides are loyal Republicans but unpatriotic Americans.