California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom embarked on a nationwide media blitz this week to promote his new book offering his take on the current state of government, a move one that might expect from a politician with higher aspirations.

Inside a non-descript San Francisco office building, Newsom sits at a small desk  located across other folks who are launching start-up businesses. It was only fitting KTVU found him situated close to entrepreneurs, since Newsom described himself as more businessman than politician.

"I love ideas and I want to solve problems," said Newsom. He solved a lot of problems as mayor of San Francisco, a job he just cannot seem to shake. He admits he still sends texts to his old staff about pan handlers on the corner and potholes. On the day KTVU sat down to talk with him, Newsom was attacking something bigger than potholes.

"There is a tsunami coming and we're about to run right into it," warned Newsom. The Lt. Governor says he wants to re-invent government. "15 percent approval in Congress, and almost every single one of them got re-elected," said Newsom.

He writes about the topic in his first book titled Citizenville.

"Let's not be prescriptive on how we solve problems. Let’s open the platform up, as Steve Jobs did with the apps world to third-party developers, citizens, to design solutions in their own image," said Newsom.

Newsom said our government old, dusty and failing. He writes that the technological divide between government the private sector is  growing and is costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.

"The money that has been lost on these I.T. systems, the record management and court systems -- I'll argue hundreds and hundreds of millions if not a billion dollars -- just gone. Now you can get an app for a lot of things people have been speding, procuring in government that costs millions of dollars," explained Newsom.

Gavin Newsom said his biggest political accomplishment to date is survival. As a supervisor, a mayor, and now Lt. Governor, the question stands: Will he continue to climb that political ladder? And if so, can he survive?

"I think all politicians fashions himself these days as one of the most powerful elected official in the world," said former San Francisco mayor Willie Brown. He said Newsom is a natural executive. As Newsom travels the nation on his current book tour, Brown says he could be testing political water he's never dipped into.

"I think he is now successful in politics, and the penmanship based on how this book sells will be evidence or not if he's a true long-term thinker. The combination of all of those stamps you as more than competitive for higher office," said Brown.

When asked if he will ever run for president, Newsom said the thought "really, truly, absurdly never crossed my mind."

While Newsom didn’t say yes or no to the presidency, he did say he does have interest in running for governor again. He says dropping out of the race in October 2009 was one of his best moves.

"It allowed me the opportunity to get smarter, more thoughtful about government as we know it. Not just in the state, but across the country," said Newsom.

And as Newsom travels across the country on his first national book tour, perhaps he we will consider a similar trip in the future in pursuit of a higher office.