Newt takes Manhattan

It looks as though Newt's refusing to announce that he is a candidate is crazy like a fox.

Just as the Hillary-Obama dustup was settling down, John McCain puts his foot in his mouth.

Meanwhile, Newt delivers "a scathing and often hilarious" speech at New York’s Cooper Union.

Newt is avoiding:

• Bringing his (unofficial) campaign under F.E.C. financing guidelines.
• Being the in the focus of the media microscope for gaffes.
• Wearing everyone out with the same old stump speech.

If the primary campaigns on the right become even half as vicious as the ones on the left, he is going to look pretty good in September.