The only thing that can save House Majority Leader Tom DeLay from further negative coverage in the media would be for an equally disagreeable political figure to enter the fray. Luckily for DeLay, this exact situation appears to be happening. The Hill's Alexander Bolton has the scoop:

Former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) will spend two days in New Hampshire next week to meet editorial boards and conservative activists, convincing several of his former House colleagues that he will run for the presidency in 2008.

Gingrich will spend Monday and part of Tuesday in the Granite State and has packed his schedule with events calculated to boost his profile and woo influential Republicans whose support would be critical in a presidential primary. New Hampshire is the site of the first primary.

[...]

Gingrich will also travel to Iowa on May 12 and 13 for visits to Sioux City, Cedar Rapids and Iowa City and will likely participate in events for the local Republican Party and attend one or two book signings, Tyler said. The Iowa caucuses are the first election of the presidential nominating process, followed by the New Hampshire primary a few days later.

Does Newt seriously believe he has any shot at winning the Presidency in 2008? More importantly, do Republican activists actually believe he can win for them? Apparently, the answer is yes.

News of Gingrich’s foray into the presidential battleground and the array of politically significant activities have prompted enthusiastic responses from House Republicans.

The only people who should be as happy as conservative Republicans about a possible Gingrich run are the multitudes of Democrats who want to see one of their own in the White House. Aside from perhaps Sam Brownback, there are very few Republicans who would fare as poorly as Newt in a general election. Luckily for the Democrats, the GOP nomination is sown up in primaries, not in the general election. Perhaps the Dems have a shot after all.