Gingrich All But Set Himself Up for This Attack

Yesterday on Facebook, Newt Gingrich (or someone working for him) wrote the following: "I have no ties to the power structure. I think they are very frightened of the idea of a genuine outsider, and I have managed to remain an outsider." This is a sentiment he's expressed elsewhere during the campaign season. Which is an odd thing for someone to when when he's served as Speaker of the House, never cut ties with his old colleagues in Washington and had a consulting gig with Freddie Mac. Would Mitt Romney attack?

Of course he would. Romney finished second in Florida last time and is not angling for a repeat -- especially as a win for Newt would generate talk of momentum (or Newtmentum, as it will likely be called). The Romney campaign unleashed this ad last night, in which a 1990s Newt essentially brags about his insider status.

With a week left before the Florida primary, the TV-ad war in that state is likely to be loud and fierce as Gingrich and Romney battle it out. According to Kantar's CMAG, TV spending in 2008 topped $10 million -- and that was a race with only three candidates. This time, four remain standing, and the Super PACs have been set free. Some estimates peg the number at $15 million this time around, but the forces aligned with Gingrich and Romney could drive it higher.