Newt Gingrich, All Smiles but Doing a Tap Dance on Iran's Nuclear Program

Newt Gingrich was on The Situation Room on CNN this evening and he was a changed man.
Gone are the snide remarks and the cunning "I know all the answers" smiles. Newt has got the message.
Americans want a president who's smart and ready to debate, argue, and do battle with the world if need be, but they want him (or her) to be friendly and a little like a big brother or cheerful grandfather at the same time.
Gingrich had been doing really well with the first set of job descriptions but he was failing in the cuddly set. So, one can guess that two things have happened.
First, he's so far ahead in all the polls that he must be euphoric and hardly able to keep from giggling on TV shows.
Second, one of his handlers has taken Newt aside and told him to cut out the smirks in favor of softie smiles. And, wouldn't you know it, our Newt can do almost anything, even be a teddy bear.
But, when he was talking to Wolf Blitzer about Israel and Iran, some of the old feistiness popped up. He said he'd help Israel if they decided to take out Iran's nuclear capacity. He said he'd move the US Embassy to Jerusalem. But, it must be said that he made these warrior-like statements with twinkling eyes and a smile, leaning confidentially toward Wolf as if telling him a bedtime story. As well it might be, and a final story at that, if Newt ever gets the chance to do any of the above.
I agree with him when he says that the United States must show much stronger support for Israel. The Obama administration has basically hung Israel out to dry, and we need to turn that around as quickly as November 2012 permits - for the future of the Middle East and the rest of the world. But, Gingrich seems to be practicing a rather virulent version of the Teddy Roosevelt "speak softly but carry a big stick" version of diplomacy.
And, of course, we know - and that's one of America's biggest problems, we know that whatever candidates say, if they're elected, the tune changes while they're driving down Pennsylvania Avenue to take possession of the White House. So, maybe Newt's virulence will be tempered to a real Israeli support program but without war in the Middle East if he's the White House resident come January 2013.
For now we can simply admire his ability to control himself when he knows it's necessary. Newt Gingrich, Master Politician at work.