Newtmentum, that surge predicted by oracle-like pundits and verified by polling outfits (and now subject to anti-Newt whisper chatter), has arrived in three new polls showing the former Speaker of the House gaining. Public Policy Polling has Newt Gingrich sitting atop its newest national poll and CNN/ORC International has him 2 percent behind Mitt Romney, within the survey's margin of error. In both polls, Newt has gained 13 points (PPP) and 14 points (CNN/ORC) within the last month. And, judging by his seemingly well-received debate performance on Saturday (where he scolded moderator Scott Pelley), he isn't squandering his possibly fleeting anti-Romney moment yet. As an illustration of Newtmentum this-very-second, take this Reuters/IPSO poll released on Sunday that had Mitt Romney in the lead: Newt is seen as the "the second most presidential candidate with 19 percent, 1 percentage point ahead of Cain." Pretty decent for a candidate who this summer was mostly known for his staff exodus, Tiffany's credit line and Hawaii campaigning.

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Erik Hayden