Nightly News   |  December 09, 2011

Newt is known for fighting back

Meet The Press moderator David Gregory joins Brian Williams with some analysis of the GOP race for the presidential nomination.

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This content comes from a Full-Text Transcript of the program.

BRIAN WILLIAMS, anchor: Also in Washington tonight, the moderator of " Meet the Press ," NBC's David Gregory . And, David , as the commercial says, Newt Gingrich does have a lot of baggage, but this is not his first rodeo. It is, however, a big test for him.

DAVID GREGORY reporting: A big test. How does he withstand all of that ad money that's coming his way, all of that criticism as Chuck just reported? And also the debates. He's going to be a target in a way that he hasn't been before. He's got a reputation for fighting back. Can he be disciplined enough not to, to keep it positive like he said he was going to do, and rely on the fact that there will be conservative voters who don't care too much about all the baggage in his past but will remember him as a change agent. That's how he wants to be remembered. Can he keep that discipline up?

WILLIAMS: And what about Mitt Romney in the meantime?

GREGORY: Well, he has got to drive this contrast. Ideology, temperament, leadership, the real contrast. Who's the real conservative? It really boils down to Romney being able to say to the country, 'Look, Newt Gingrich is a revolutionary. I'm a leader. He creates theories. I create jobs.' That's the kind of attack you're going to hear from Romney as we move forward, Brian .

WILLIAMS: We'll be watching " Meet the Press " on Sunday morning. David Gregory from our Washington newsroom tonight. Thanks, as always.