TPM is having some fun with the fact that Dick Durbin's Republican counterpart on Meet the Press this Sunday will be Newt Gingrich:
Consider the fact that Durbin is a top-ranking elected Democrat -- while Gingrich resigned as Speaker of the House a little over ten years ago.
Granted, I'd imagine Gingrich is a more recognizable figure than either Durbin or Durbin's GOP equal--Senate Minority Whip John Kyl--but the point holds: Newt is everywhere these days. The man never really shied away from the spotlight, but I don't know if he's gotten this much air time since the days when he actually was Speaker. And, unlike Cheney, Newt isn't some Johnny One Note. Not only can he be counted on to blast Obama for being soft on terror, he can go on at length about the virtues of Ronald Reagan, as he did just the other day on "Good Morning America." It really is a strange state of affairs when the two most visible GOP spokesman are guys who have no future in electoral politics. Unless, you don't think. . . . Gingrich-Cheney 2012?
--Jason Zengerle