Apparently, if the RNC wants Newt Gingrich, he's ready to serve as their new Chairman,

Newt Gingrich has let it be known that, if Republicans want him, the former U.S House speaker is willing to serve as chairman of the national party and lead it out of the wilderness it's blundered into.

The question is whether the 168-member Republican National Committee is open to the match.

"If a majority of the RNC thought he was needed, he would accept that appointment," said Randy Evans' Gingrich's close friend and legal counsel. "He fully appreciates the urgency of the moment."

What might strike some as coyness is in fact caution. The odds are stacked against the former Georgia congressman, for several reasons.

For one thing, six days after the election of Barack Obama and substantial gains by Democrats in the House and Senate, Republicans have yet to decide whether a serious overhaul of the party is required.

If a revolution is in order, then there's the small matter of which side is issued the pitchforks, and whose castle is to be stormed. Is this a fight to purge moderates, or a battle to expand the tent?

"The RNC has to do some soul-searching and decide what level of change is necessary," Evans said. "If that answer is bold, energetic change led by someone who has done it before, then Newt would be a good choice."

...Those interested in the job include Saul Anuzis, chairman of the Michigan GOP, and Katon Dawson, the South Carolina chairman. The current RNC chairman, Mike Duncan, also seeks another term.

If Newt Gingrich wants the job, they would be crazy not to take him. He would provide instant credibility with conservatives, he has led the Party out of the wilderness before, he is one of the best idea men in the Republican Party, and he would be a great representative for the Party in a time when the RNC Chairman may be the most important spokesman for the party.

Nothing against Saul Anuzis and Katon Dawson, who both seem to be competent guys (I'm not a fan of Mike Duncan), but they are not in the same league as Newt Gingrich.

PS: Anyone who can't figure out that a "serious overhaul of the Party" is needed after two consecutive bloodbaths at the polls needs to retire. Also, we don't need to "purge moderates," nor do we need to "shift to the middle" to expand the tent. If the GOP does what it was sent to D.C. to do in the first place -- control spending, shrink government, keep taxes low, defend traditional values, and stand for law and order -- moderates will flock to the GOP.