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Newt to begin raising campaign cash

By Bob Kemper | Sunday, September 23, 2007, 12:22 PM

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Sunday that he’ll begin raising money for a presidential campaign next Monday and, if he can raise pledges for $30 million over the next three weeks, he’ll join the Republican race for president.

“I think the odds are very high, if we ended up with that level of pledges - I don’t see, as a citizen, how you could turn that down,” Gingrich said on Fox News Sunday.

“So you’d run?” host Chris Wallace asked.

“I think you’d be compelled to,” Gingrich said.

“If we have enough resources, then close to that (fundraising deadline) we’ll face a very big decision in late October,” Gingrich said. “If there aren’t enough resources, I’m not for doing unrealistic things.”

Before the start of that fundraising, Gingrich is to host a national dialogue this week on all the issues that a presidential candidate would need to address. Under the umbrella of a group he formed, American Solutions, Gingrich on Thursday and Saturday will open debate - via satellite TV and the Internet - on immigration, health care, education and other issues.

Hmmm. Talking about all those issues. Raising all that money. Sounds like a campaign, doesn’t it? But remember, it’s Newt. So don’t bet the pension fund on ‘yes’ or ‘no’ quite yet.

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