Reply #15: I don't think so for several reasons

[karynnj]

The main being he left in disgrace with ethics transgressions, the discovery that as he spoke against Bill Clinton, he was in a six year long affair with the woman he is now married to and, perhaps most importantly, he was seen as having over reached when he led the effort to impeach Clinton, which was then seen as very negative for the Republicans.

Think back to 1999 and 2000. Al Gore picked Joe Lieberman, rather than someone like John Kerry, because of Lieberman's status as the opposite of Bill Clinton's anything goes. This was seen as necessary for Gore - in spite of the fact that Gore was chosen by Clinton for his clean, eagle scout background. Bush, a mean drunk until 40, was able to use the Christian theme of the prodigal son to speak of being reborn and to run on bringing back honor and decency to the White House.

In that context, Gingrich, who divorced his second wife in 2000 and married his paramour. There was NO way he was viable at that moment.