 OF all the long-shot Republican candidacies for president, Newt Gingrich s was the first to be pronounced dead. In May, at a campaign event in Iowa, the former House Speaker was approached by a voter, Russell Fuhrman. as television cameras rolled, he shook Gingrich s hand, looked him in the eye, and said:  You re an embarrassment to our party. Why don t you get out before you make a bigger fool of yourself?  Gingrich angered hardline Republicans by describing Congressman Paul Ryan s budget plan as  right-wing social engineering  and revelations of a debt to Tiffany s jewellers of at least $250,000 made him look profligate and out of touch with ordinary americans. When he interrupted his fledgling campaign for a two-week trip to the Greek islands with his wife, Callista, his staff resigned in protest. Veteran conservative columnist Charles Krauthammer declared  Newt Gingrich is done ,  and practically the entire political class agreed.  Through the summer, Gingrich was a marginal candidate, contributing to debates from the sidelines, as first Michele Bachmann, then Rick Perry and finally Herman Cain stumbled from the spotlight. Now, a month before Republicans first go to the polls to choose their nominee at the Iowa caucus, Gingrich is the undisputed front-runner in the race, having emerged as the Tea Party alternative to Mitt Romney.  according to the latest polls, Gingrich has a 10% lead in Iowa and is rapidly closing the gap in New Hampshire, previously regarded as a Romney stronghold. In Florida, two surveys, conducted by CNN and Public Policy Polling, show Gingrich with a 20% margin, the preferred candidate of the radical and moderate wings of the party. His support among pensioners, who can be relied upon to vote, is particularly strong.  The nomination contest has been so volatile that few would be surprised by another twist, but at the moment it looks like the choice is between Romney and Gingrich.  Romney has run a slick campaign, without any major mis-steps, but his attempt to project an air of inevitability has been undermined by a persistent failure to convince more than 25% of likely Republican voters to back him. Many in the Christian right are turned off by his Mormon faith. Others point to his comparatively liberal track record on abortion, gay rights and universal healthcare as governor of Massachusetts, and wonder if his vehemently expressed conservative convictions can be trusted.  The  anyone but Romney  coalition is broad, but it is astonishing that Gingrich has been the beneficiary. an attack a 