Oops, he did it again! Gingrich won't be on the Missouri ballot!

"Oops, did I do that?" (Linked to source at Forbes.com

According to the Missouri Secretary of State's office, Newt Gingrich did not file the necessary paperwork to be on the February 7 ballot.
(He messed up in Virginia just last week, and won't be on their ballot either.)
Really, Mr. Speaker? It is almost like you aren't even trying anymore! Or are the phones not working in Iowa? All you had to do was get one person to go down to the state capitol, pay $1,000, and fill out some paperwork. You didn't even have to get signatures in Missouri!
You had time to visit Dubuque, Decorah, and Dyersville, IA yesterday, but you didn't have just one staffer on the bus who could drive the 280 miles down to Jefferson City, MO?
Can I point out that Dyersville, IA has approximately 4,000 people living in it, and Missouri has 6 million?
Sure, the Missouri's primary is just for show, since no delegates are actually awarded.  The state Republican Party will hold caucuses in March for that purpose. I know Iowa is Important, but Missouri is too. Actually, I like to think that all of the states are important and deserve equal attention. The fact that we have to have laws keeping you from spending too much money in one state is rather ridiculous. We should have laws strongly encouraging you to spend equal money in every state.
For the record, all of the other candidates (maybe even some you have never heard of) managed to get on the ballot.

Gingrich and Perry Fail to Qualify for Virginia Primary Ballot

"I'm a Newt" "I'm a chipmunk!" (Linked to source: Salon.com)

Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry have failed to gather and submit the required 10,000 minimum signatures from registered voters in Virginia in order to make the primary ballot in March, according to the Republican Party of Virginia (RPV).The ballot will now only be Mitt Romney and Ron Paul. (Huntsman, Bachmann, and Santorum did not submit petitions.)

Gingrich did have a slight lead in Virginia over Mitt Romney in the Commonwealth, according to a Quinnipiac University poll, released Wednesday morning. Gingrich has 30 percent and Romney has 25 percent among VA Republican voters.

Instead of admitting he failed to gather enough signatures (his campaign was seen still gathering signatures outside of an event in Richmond on Thursday), Newt Gingrich's campaign criticized the process. "Only a failed system excludes four out of the six major candidates seeking access to the ballot. Voters deserve the right to vote for any top contender, especially leading candidates. We will work with the Republican Party of Virginia to pursue an aggressive write-in campaign to make sure that all the voters of Virginia are able to vote for the candidate of their choice.”

Way to endear yourself to the Republican Party of Virginia (RPV), Mr. Speaker. It's not like you haven't known for months that this was coming!  I wonder if when he's a visiting professor if he allows students to use that same excuse? "Professor, I've known for months that this was coming. But I think the system is wrong. Asking me to do homework in every class is too much. I'm going to start an aggressive write-in campaign from my parents and all my friends making sure I get to pass!" 

Weak sauce.