Bad news for Newt Gingrich: he isn’t going to win the Republican nomination. He’s still in the race and, yes, he’ll be able to continue for a while longer, but he’s as good as finished nonetheless.

You see, February will without a doubt be Romney’s month. It’s likely that he will win every caucus / primary in it. He will win today in Nevada, and the other states will in all likelihood follow suit.

The result? Romney’s victory will be considered inevitable. And that is all that he needs to wrap this thing up.

Of course that does not mean that he will not face any problems in the weeks and months ahead. He will. Gingrich will continue to trash him. He will have to defend himself against all sorts of allegations. No doubt about it.

But that will not change the game in any significant way. Heck, I believe that Gingrich may even end up hurting himself more than the man he apparently considers his mortal enemy. At a certain moment, Republican voters will want to coalesce around one candidate, that being the front runner. The longer Gingrich continues to insult and smear him, the more people will turn their backs on him.

In short, if Gingrich doesn’t change his tone quickly, he will end up being less rather than more popular. How are you going to sell your precious books then, Newt?