[Sen Jack S. Fogbound]

"The press is operating like a third political party; they will never back Newt. Reagan was extraordinary in his acting-honed ability to override them at their own communications game. It would take another person similarly gifted. Intellect is not enough; presentation is very important. This is where Bush could not measure up, much as I love the guy and understood his verbal shorthand. He and I are from a similar walk of life and have a compatible frame of reference. Other ethnicities and subgroups simply could not understand the man.

You got it! Bush realized his lack of skill in verbal communication altho he is getting much better lately. So he had Art Fleicher as his spokeman to the press and he didn't do too badly. McClellan was terrible and I blame him for his communication that drove his poll downward. Tony Snow is excellent in this. He should have had Tony from the beginning.

Communication is all-important. It establishes the mindset of the President and direct it to the voters.

Newt is excellent in this game and he can do the job very effectively. As for his "baggages", I believe he paid very dearly for this. He lost just about everything and yet he did not complain. I don't know what was going on between him and his ex-wife but that's their business. There was obvious problems. Now he spent years in making a living as an advisor to several agencies so he could stay on top of the political world. He recently wrote a book about God.

[Albion Wilde]

I appreciate your enthusiasm for the man, but I cannot see him getting elected. We really, really need an electable candidate who can follow through. Newt is too cerebral, and he does have a dark side, in contrast to Bush, who is very clearly WYSIWYG. (what you see is what you get)