Gingrich Dips Toe In Presidential Waters

The next Republican presidential nominee should offer a vision “that people can feel in their lives,” House Speaker Newt Gingrich said.

In the state where the 2000 presidential campaign begins, Gingrich conceded he may well consider trying to fill that bill.

The Georgia Republican generated a lot of speculation during a barnstorming swing through Iowa, where precinct caucuses open the nominating season for a parade of potential candidates that’s already heavy.

He raised a little money - actually quite a lot - for a local congressman, adopted a lion at the zoo and signed autographs and was cheered by thousands at a statewide wrestling competition Friday night.

If that all sounds like a politician testing the political waters, that was precisely how it was being read.

“He’s pushing all the right buttons,” conceded Keith Fortman, executive director of the Iowa Republican Party.