Gingrich Has More Problems

[Annie]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070309/ap_on_go_co/gingrich_affair

Gingrich had affair during Clinton probe

By BEN EVANS, Associated Press Writer 17 minutes ago

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich acknowledged he was having an extramarital affair even as he led the charge against President Clinton over the Monica Lewinsky affair, he acknowledged in an interview with a conservative Christian group.

"The honest answer is yes," Gingrich, a potential 2008 Republican presidential candidate, said in an interview with Focus on the Family founder James Dobson to be aired Friday, according to a transcript provided to The Associated Press. "There are times that I have fallen short of my own standards. There's certainly times when I've fallen short of God's standards."

Gingrich argued in the interview, however, that he should not be viewed as a hypocrite for pursuing Clinton's infidelity.

"The president of the United States got in trouble for committing a felony in front of a sitting federal judge," the former Georgia congressman said of Clinton's 1998 House impeachment on perjury and obstruction of justice charges. "I drew a line in my mind that said, 'Even though I run the risk of being deeply embarrassed, and even though at a purely personal level I am not rendering judgment on another human being, as a leader of the government trying to uphold the rule of law, I have no choice except to move forward and say that you cannot accept ... perjury in your highest officials."

Widely considered a mastermind of the Republican revolution that swept Congress in the 1994 elections, Gingrich remains wildly popular among many conservatives. He has repeatedly placed near the top of Republican presidential polls recently, even though he has not formed a campaign.

Gingrich has said he is waiting to see how the Republican field shapes up before deciding in the fall whether to run.

Reports of extramarital affairs have dogged him for years as a result of two messy divorces, but he has refused to discuss them publicly.

Gingrich, who frequently campaigned on family values issues, divorced his second wife, Marianne, in 2000 after his attorneys acknowledged Gingrich's relationship with his current wife, Callista Bisek, a former congressional aide more than 20 years younger than he is.

His first marriage, to his former high school geometry teacher, Jackie Battley, ended in divorce in 1981. Although Gingrich has said he doesn't remember it, Battley has said Gingrich discussed divorce terms with her while she was recuperating in the hospital from cancer surgery.

Gingrich married Marianne months after the divorce.

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[Avatar4321]

Yeah i know he does. Which is a shame because the guy is a good leader. He understands how to get things accomplished.

 

[Annie]

Yeah i know he does. Which is a shame because the guy is a good leader. He understands how to get things accomplished.

He should have brought this out months ago. It's late in the new cycle and he wanted to enter late, now this.

 

[Adam's Apple]

Oh, heck, review the history; you will find plenty of warts (sexual kind) on U.S. Presidents. As recently as 1996, Bob Dole ran a presidential campaign on "character matters" but he was trounced by our most recent serial adulterer. Should tell us something about how serious the public takes the "character" issue (especially when there's a good looking, charismatic Democrat involved).

That having been said, I would not like to see Newt run for President. I think he does a much better job for the country in the area he has currently pegged out for himself.

 

[Annie]

Oh, heck, review the history; you will find plenty of warts (sexual kind) on U.S. Presidents. As recently as 1996, Bob Dole ran a presidential campaign on "character matters" but he was trounced by our most recent serial adulterer. Should tell us something about how serious the public takes the "character" issue (especially when there's a good looking, charismatic Democrat involved).

That having been said, I would not like to see Newt run for President. I think he does a much better job for the country in the area he has currently pegged out for himself.

I agree. He's better at explaining problems and solutions, than he would be at leading. Lots of brilliant people tend to grow testy with others.

 

[dilloduck]

I'll still vote for him.

 

[Dirt McGirt]

He should have brought this out months ago. It's late in the new cycle and he wanted to enter late, now this.

Actually this story has been around for years. http://www.salon.com/news/1998/08/28news.html. Since the questions came from Dobson, I wouldn't be surprised if Newt set this up himself so he can try to make this a non-issue. I don't know how it will resonate with voters though. It might win him some Republican support in the South where voters aren't completely sold on Giuliani.

 

[Avatar4321]

Oh, heck, review the history; you will find plenty of warts (sexual kind) on U.S. Presidents. As recently as 1996, Bob Dole ran a presidential campaign on "character matters" but he was trounced by our most recent serial adulterer. Should tell us something about how serious the public takes the "character" issue (especially when there's a good looking, charismatic Democrat involved).

That having been said, I would not like to see Newt run for President. I think he does a much better job for the country in the area he has currently pegged out for himself.

I don't know. I think he could do pretty good in a position like Rove's where he is determining conservative strategy.

 

[dilloduck]

I don't know. I think he could do pretty good in a position like Rove's where he is determining conservative strategy.

If he chooses not to run, he certainly is in a position to influence who will be the nominee.

 

[bush lover]

Folks, I don't care if the zipper belongs to Clinton, Giuliani, McCain or Gingrich, adulterers are slimebuckets, and I wouldn't vote for any of them. Let's support a candidate who has been a great father to his and his wife's children, who has been faithful and married to his first wife (not the third or fifth). We need a strong dose of personal morality in the country. Our President, for example, has remained faithful to his wife and was always there for their daughters. We need a President now who respects marriage, the commitment it means and the subjugation of selfish desires it entails to be successful. Sen. Brownback comes to mind.

 

[CTRLALTDEL]

Folks, I don't care if the zipper belongs to Clinton, Giuliani, McCain or Gingrich, adulterers are slimebuckets, and I wouldn't vote for any of them. Let's support a candidate who has been a great father to his and his wife's children, who has been faithful and married to his first wife (not the third or fifth). We need a strong dose of personal morality in the country. Our President, for example, has remained faithful to his wife and was always there for their daughters. We need a President now who respects marriage, the commitment it means and the subjugation of selfish desires it entails to be successful. Sen. Brownback comes to mind.

Good luck in finding Mr PERFECT. LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[JeffWartman]

I would still vote for him...

But any of the "family values Conservatives"...if they vote for him, are hypocrites

 

[dilloduck]

I would still vote for him...

But any of the "family values Conservatives"...if they vote for him, are hypocrites

Not neccessarily---what if they feel as if his opponents' social stances may do MORE harm than Newts' behaviour. Wouldn't choosing the lesser of two evils be the honest way to go ?

 

[Avatar4321]

Not neccessarily---what if they feel as if his opponents' social stances may do MORE harm than Newts' behaviour. Wouldn't choosing the lesser of two evils be the honest way to go ?

Not only that, but I think we tend to be pretty forgiving if we believe the person is sincere. I don't know if Newt is sincere, but he is being honest about it and has apologized for his behavior. Quite unlikely President Clinton who in his so called apology to the nation never apologized once and simply blamed it on the people for catching him.