Newt is apparently planning to kill his political rivals with kindness:
Newt Gingrich has at least one name on his list of potential running mates: GOP rival Mitt Romney.
"I think Mitt Romney is a very admirable person, and I'm not going to pick a fight with Mitt Romney," Gingrich said in an interview Wednesday with CNN's Wolf Blitzer.??When asked if he would ever ask Romney to be his vice presidential nominee, Gingrich didn't mince words.
"I think the consensus is that he'd certainly be on the list, whether he'd want to or not," Gingrich said. "He's a very competent person. This is a very serious man. I would certainly support him if he became the Republican nominee."
Notably, the former Speaker of the House gave this magnanimous response in the wake of a Romney ad which highlights Mitt's 42-year marriage to the same woman -- a move widely viewed as a passive-aggressive dig at Newt, famously on marriage number three.
As Newt has risen in the polls -- he's ahead of Romney in Iowa and South Carolina today -- he has also worked to keep Obama and the media the focus of his criticism. Indeed, his feisty debate performances, in which he has scolded the moderators for their attempts to divide the GOP candidates, earned him admiration and support.
It remains to be seen whether Romney will change his tune, and take a less combative stance toward his new rival -- after all, he risks looking petulant if Newt won't bite.
Needless to say, however, Newt's campaign bus is speeding down the high road heading into the Iowa caucus.