Gingrich and the Washington elite

Ezra Klein posits that if Newt Gingrich actually isn't among the so-called 'Washington elite', nobody is:

Newt Gingrich served in Congress from 1979 to 1999. After he resigned his seat, he settled down in McLean, VA and sought to forge a new career as one of Washington's highly paid, widely respected, wise men. He began his Center for Health Transformation and consulted for Freddie Mac. He filmed anti-global warming commercials with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and co-authored New York Times op-eds with Sen. John Kerry. He served on the bipartisan U.S. Commission on National Security and as co-chair of a task force on UN reform. Newt Gingrich has, in other words, been a key player in Washington since Jimmy Carter was president. Yet in his victory speech in South Carolina, he blasted "the elites in Washington and New York."

One is left to wonder what the criteria must be for someone like Gingrich to be officially considered 'elite' in Washington. Perhaps any candidate for the 'Beltway insider' position must present himself as a reasonably likable human being. As Jon Stewart accurately but euphemistically termed it, Gingrich has a tendency to appear "likability challenged." Some are even wondering if a little facial hair might make him more appealing to voters (hey, it might even work on the Washington Elite Committee, too).