Newt rising?

Is this an example of why Newt is rising in the polls?

Is Newt Gingrich to the left of Mitt Romney? His alliance with Hillary Clinton on healthcare and Nancy Pelosi on global warming would seem to indicate that he is. Fred Barnes analyzes Newt's chances to win the Republican nomination against the more disciplined and careful Romney here: http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/history-newt_609219.html

Update: Timothy Carney argues that Newt is lying when he says he was never a lobbyist. He met with Republican legislators in 2003 to urge them to vote for the prescription drug Medicare program, while he was being paid as a "consultant" for big drug companies. Read more here: http://campaign2012.washingtonexaminer.com/article/newt-gingrich-was-lobbyist-plain-and-simple?utm_source=WP%20TEMPLATE:%20Morning%20Examiner%20-%2011/21/2011&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Washington%20Examiner:%20Morning%20Examiner

Update two: George Will calls Gingrich a "rental politician," who serves the ethanol lobby and claims that the reason he was paid over seven figures by Freddy Mac was because he is an "historian." Read more here: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1111/68801.html

Update three: Jennifer Rubin describes Newt as "a font of loony ideas." The link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/post/gingrich-a-font-of-loony-ideas/2011/11/22/gIQAdUPnkN_blog.html