Michael Kazin finds the possibility tantalizing:
Gingrich has many flaws, but downplaying his ideological ambitions is not among them. He rose to power by being an articulate, if savage, exponent of a conservative world-view, and his nomination, if it occurred, would represent the triumph of rhetorical boldness over Romney’s cautious artifice. And it would also provide Barack Obama with an opportunity to advocate the progressive principles that inspired him to run for the office in the first place. … Newt would force Obama to talk about his principles and not just his programs—or rather how the latter flows from the former. The debates would sharpen the terms of political discourse in a healthy rather than demagogic fashion: Standing just feet away from the president, Newt would probably refrain from ranting about the Democrat’s "secular socialist agenda," and Obama would not be able to get away with empty talk about “winning the future."
The Dish 