Chait explains why he dismissed Gingrich from the start:
One lesson of Gingrich's hilarious implosion is that we need to use our heads when assessing the prospects of various presidential contenders. I've taken some unconventional positions on the odds of various candidates — talking down favorite Mitt Romney, talking up Tim Pawlenty when he was a longshot, insisting that Michelle Bachmann could have an impact — because I think the polls are a very limited tool at this point. Based on the polls, Newt Gingrich had a reasonably good chance to win the nomination, hovering around 10% for much of the year.
But I never took his candidacy with even the slightest bit of seriousness.
Me neither. Because he's a dumb, ill-disciplined, mean-spirited blowhard. But good for Chait for being so emphatic about it.
The Dish 