NEWT GINGRICH IS NOT EVERYONE'S cup of tea. In fact, many Americans react to him as they would to a tankard of bitter hemlock brew.
There is little doubt that the right-wing patriarch of the House would enjoy broader public acceptability if he controlled his tongue as well as he controls his Republican colleagues.But even his foes, of whom there are many, should appreciate the leadership and discipline he has brought to his party and his conservative cause. They also should appreciate the fact that he has stirred the once-sedentary political cauldron to the boiling point.
During the Democrats' 40-year reign in the House, which encompassed the tenures of nine presidents, GOP leaders opposed liberal initiatives but rarely offered an agenda of their own.
When Republicans - Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan and George Bush - occupied the White House, GOP lawmakers followed their leader. When Democrats - John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson and Jimmy Carter - held the presidency, the Republicans occasionally maimed or killed a bill but almost never initiated their own legislative package.
They played a defensive rather than offensive political game.
None had the audacity to draft a "Contract With America," obtain the signatures of all the Republicans seeking election to the House and then, once they had routed the Demos from control, set out to implement each of its proposals.
Tough, vindictive, autocratic and often demagogic though he may be, Gingrich has demonstrated what leadership is all about. No one should doubt that he is the captain of the conservative cause.
He fully understands Harry Truman's maxim: A leader has to lead, or otherwise he has no business in politics.
Gingrich is filled with ideas and ambition and has forced other leaders of government to think imaginatively about matters of state.
He has made the halls of government fascinating forums for debate about politics, philosophy and the destiny of the American republic. Where other GOP leaders have talked for years about turning the clock back, Gingrich is actually attempting to do it.
Although both parties have moved rightward in recent years, the GOP took a giant leap in that direction with last year's election.
At the same time, few Democrats with any clout have defended their party's record of the past 60 years.
Bill Clinton may be the head of state, but since November Gingrich has acted as head of government.