Nothing like a little arm-chair quarterbacking by maybe 2008 Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich on the Iraq war and how the White House should handle its PR.

The former speaker of the House of Representatives told reporters at the posh Hay Adams Hotel in Washington that he did not think President George W. Bush needed to speak to the nation in a televised address on Thursday evening, leaving it to his minions.

Gen. David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker spent the week trying to convince Congress that some progress has been made in the four-year-old Iraq war and that about 20,000 U.S. troops would be coming home by July 2008.

That was enough for Gingrich.

“The right people to talk about Iraq were Gen. Petraeus and Amb. Crocker,” Gingrich said. “I would simply suggest that thinking through and mastering how you communicate with the American people is at the heart of the presidency.”

The former Georgia lawmaker, who has been on the speaking circuit since leaving office and flirting with joining the crowded 2008 presidential field, suggested reporters should ask newly minted White House counselor Ed Gillespie why Bush spoke.

Before Bush’s address, a new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll reported that 30 percent of Americans approve of Bush’s handling of Iraq, up 8 points from July.

Despite his unpopularity, it’s never been Bush’s style to shy away from a public fight. While he readily admits he fumbles some speeches, he seems to relish mixing it up and challenging the Democrats on pulling out of Iraq quickly.

“The president thought it was important for the American people to hear that as commander-in-chief he was accepting the recommendation of General Petreaus to begin bringing some of our troops home from Iraq,” said White House spokesman Scott Stanzel.

However, maybe Gingrich has a point, Bush’s televised broadcast averaged 28.8 million viewers, according to preliminary figures from Nielsen, down dramatically from the 42.5 million who tuned in to Bush’s Jan. 10 address on Iraq. 
     
– Steve Holland and Jeremy Pelofsky