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Newt Gingrich: The Hypocrite We All Knew He Was

FRIDAY MARCH 9 2007 8:00 PM

Submitted by legionnaire. Edited By erin_broadley.

TAGS: Newt Gingrich, affair, Clinton

The Clinton impeachment trial stands out in the minds of many who remember it as one of the most ridiculous political fiascos in decades. From his own Puritanical impulses the independent counsel felt the need to investigate the private sex life of a sitting president and turn what should be a nonpartisan position into arguably the most partisan government activity in the history of the federal government. The president told the country a pathetic and irrelevant lie while under oath. And a Republican controlled Congress squealed with glee as they proceeded to begin impeachment proceedings over a lie that had nothing at all to do with any part of the president's job, only his ability to keep his hands off of an intern.

Leading the charge was none other than the aptly named Newt Gingrich, Speaker of the House at the time, a reptile of a man who sat on his high moral horse looking down on the sins of Bill Clinton and deciding that was enough to remove a sitting president from office. Well apparently, Clinton wasn't the only one having an affair at the time.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich 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."

So even though this was clearly sufficient to vilify Clinton and make a mockery of the constitution, we're supposed to find it in our hearts to forgive Gingrich? Of course! Because now, in the Gingrich revisionist history of the impeachment proceedings, it was never about Lewinsky at all, but rather a legal technicality.

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."

Admittedly, Clinton's decision to perjure himself was not a good one. But the moralizing that Democrats were subjected to by holier-than-thou Republicans, with Gingrich leading them, is a bit ridiculous in retrospect considering how many of them have left office in disgrace, or like Gingrich, were doing what just what they were demonizing at the same time.

69 Comments

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Chainlink

Key West, FL

August 2005

MAR 09, 2007 08:06 PM

Newts are anphibians I think.

nicod

Oklahoma City, OK

March 2007

MAR 09, 2007 08:06 PM

I believe him first elected to office on the irony of having a public official with the name "newt". It could have only been better if he were named "toad".

theconservative

Antarctica

October 2004

MAR 09, 2007 08:15 PM

how magnanimous you are in your admittance of clinton's 'not good' decision. the fact is that while i'm no fan of the newter, clinton committed a felony, gingrich didn't. period. gingrich wasn't 'demonizing' anything, he was (legally) attacking a political adversary for a felony. there's nothing at all uncommon about that.

starbuck42

I'm lost

February 2007

MAR 09, 2007 08:15 PM

chainlink said:
Newts are anphibians I think.

Amphibians, and yes they totally are.

JackMD

Austin, TX

June 2004

MAR 09, 2007 08:17 PM

This actually scares me cause he has no real reason to admit to this except that maybe he knows he will run for prez 08 and this is an attempt to nullify this issue early on, I really think this guy is a slime ball.

HeyZeus

Oakland, CA

August 2006

MAR 09, 2007 08:20 PM

theconservative said:
how magnanimous you are in your admittance of clinton's 'not good' decision. the fact is that while i'm no fan of the newter, clinton committed a felony, gingrich didn't. period. gingrich wasn't 'demonizing' anything, he was (legally) attacking a political adversary for a felony. there's nothing at all uncommon about that.

And how small you are in failing to realize the insignificance of Clinton's act and that of the two, Gingrich is clearly the less ethical.

Gillionaire

Manchester, NH

February 2007

MAR 09, 2007 08:25 PM

I'll get this out of the way right now. I prefered having a president that would lie to the courts about getting a blowjob rather then having a president that would lie to the people so he could wage and justify a war. Yeah, maybe that's over simplifying things and whatnot, but it's how I feel.

Of course I'd rather have a president that DIDN'T LIE but fuck, that's obviously never going to happen.

emotedcreations

Germany

July 2006

MAR 09, 2007 08:27 PM

i think it's pretty accurate. ^^^

HeyZeus

Oakland, CA

August 2006

MAR 09, 2007 08:27 PM

he acknowledged in an interview with a conservative Christian group.

James Dobson, of course. In 2001, he says:

When assessing the legacy of Bill Clinton, we can't overlook his shameful sexual behavior in the Oval Office... Indeed, it is my belief that no man has ever done more to debase the presidency or to undermine our Constitution -- and particularly the moral and biblical principles upon which it is based -- than has William Jefferson Clinton.

But for Newt, Dobson provides a platform for Newt to discuss his "falling short" of God's standards.

Campaign to Defend the Constitution

DevilsReject

Cleveland, OH

February 2007

MAR 09, 2007 08:30 PM

I agree with JackR. He's prepping himself for the upcoming elections. Granted perjury is nothing to squawk at, he should of told the truth, but i highly doubt that every elected official is completely honest, even under oath, republican, democrat or otherwise. As far as the relations with Monica, Clinton got caught doing what many other President's did, he just got caught.