Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., fueled speculation surrounding a potential 2008 presidential run while touting his new book in Hanover on Tuesday.
Having begun his morning signing books and greeting locals at the Dartmouth Bookstore, Gingrich also lectured in government professor Jeffrey Smith's class as part of an open event organized by the Rockefeller Center and later spoke at Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity as part of the Scarlett Lecture Series.
When asked in an interview with The Dartmouth if he would run for president, Gingrich declined to definitively comment.
"I'll think about it in the summer of 2007," he said. "I'm in New Hampshire, and I'll be in Iowa, and I'll be back in New Hampshire and I'll be back in Iowa.
If you want to set the terms of the 2008 debate, these are the two best states [in which] to set it."
Gingrich emphasized that he is visiting these states not to campaign, but to frame future debate, saying he sees himself "as more of a teacher than a candidate."
During his visit, Gingrich reiterated the claims he makes in his new book, "Winning the Future: A 21st Century Contract with America."
Gingrich's book outlines a possible campaign platform to fix what he sees as monumental problems -- rising Islamic terrorism, increasing separation between church and state, declining math and science skills and growing budget deficits.
Gingrich said he is concerned about the current state of the nation and its future, telling the audience in Filene Auditorium, "I believe we have more challenges today than any time since 1980."
College Republicans President Matthew Alexander '06 predicted that Gingrich will run in 2008 and that, despite a difficult primary, he will "have broad appeal in the general election."
"He's a very eloquent speaker who truly holds to his convictions," Alexander said.
"Rarely do we get a luminary like Newt Gingrich to come speak, and we were really happy with the way things went."
Alexander praised Gingrich's stance on national security and thought his ideas about math and science education were "fresh and genuine, if a little bit extraordinary politically."
Young Democrats President Elisabeth Smith '05 said she too was impressed by Gingrich's knowledge and long-term vision but not by his logic, especially when he appeared to link secularism to unemployment.
She also expressed doubts about his potential as a candidate.
"He's a punch line," Smith said. "He's the personification of the ridiculous grandiosity and moral hypocrisy of the Republican party."
The Georgia Republican raised eyebrows after announcing his book tour visits to New Hampshire and Iowa, states whose early decisions are often seen as indications of candidates' viability.
By visiting these states Gingrich's name has effectively been added to pundits' list of suspected 2008 presidential candidates, which also includes Florida Governor Jeb Bush, New York Governor George Pataki, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., Senator John McCain, R-Ariz., and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
No stranger to ethics investigations, Gingrich defended House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, who has been admonished by the House ethics committee and scrutinized by the media.
He said that while Democrats have accused DeLay of ethical violations it is unclear whether he actually committed them.
"Tom Delay has every right to defend himself and clear his name," he said.
Gingrich rose to prominence in 1994 after creating the "Contract with America," a document that listed what Republicans would do if elected, and is credited for the subsequent establishment of a Republican majority.
Following this success, Gingrich was elected Speaker of the House, a position in which he served for three years, and was chosen to be Time Magazine's 1995 Man of the Year.
If Gingrich decides to run for president, past controversies may resurface.
In 1997, the House of Representatives fined him $300,000 and reprimanded him for using tax-exempt organizations inappropriately and then lying to the House ethics committee about his conduct.
While Gingrich calls for endorsing Christian values in government, and while he and Republicans heavily criticized President Clinton's moral wrongdoings, Gingrich has himself attracted criticism for his own moral conduct.
He divorced his first wife just after she had been diagnosed with cancer and married another woman months later.
While married to his second wife, whom he divorced in 1999 after she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, Gingrich had an affair with an aide.
