Newt Gingrich does not want to be the 45th President of the United States.

He wants to raise his profile, sell more books, add to his already substantial client base, and make piles of money.  But he does not want to be the leader of the free world.  Why?  Because he's smart enough to know that he is a much better backbencher than he is a leader.

Gingrich likes being on FOX News.  He likes to pontificate.  He likes it when people talk about how smart he is.  What he does not like is the scrutiny that comes with his new lot in life as the GOP frontrunner.

When Herman Cain's campaign (another man who doesn't want to be President) imploded, Gingrich became the next "anyone but Romney" candidate.  When he woke up and realized that he was polling better than Romney and now had a decent shot at winning the Iowa Caucus, he must have panicked.

So last night, in a very deliberate way, Mr. Gingrich passionately explained why we have to "be humane in enforcing the (immigration) laws without giving them citizenship, but by finding a way to create legality so that they are not separated from their families."

It's an outstanding, realistic approach to a very complicated problem... just the kind of solution that Tea Party members loathe.

I predict that Gingrich will follow this gambit up with a few more well-placed stink bombs so that he can reduce his numbers back to where he wants them... single digits.  Maybe he'll again bring up that child labor laws are stupid.

This way Newt can be Newt.  Little scrutiny or accountability.  He can talk to Sean Hannity and Greta Van Susterin until he's blue in the face, cash huge paychecks, buy his wife any piece if jewelry she wants, and not have to explain his filter-free thoughts and ideas.