Just having to think about Newt Gingrich long enough to write this post makes my skin crawl, but I'll try to get through it, because I have to make a few points.
Listen, I am no fan of Mitt Romney's. And if you read my previous post you'll know I am certainly no fan of Rick Santorum's, either. Ron Paul is a certified kook. Having said that, though, I think any of those guys would be less dangerous to this country than Newt Gingrich, because at least Santorum and Paul's more whackadoodle ideas would never pass Congress anyway.
What are Republicans thinking even considering this man to be the leader of our country? I don't even know where to begin... he was House Speaker until he was run out of town for ethics violations and fined $300,000. He has lied through his teeth about what he did with Freddie Mac and as a lobbyist (oh, I'm sorry -- historian). Not to mention his three marriages and multiple mistresses. And by the way, he owes John King of CNN an apology for tearing into him for asking Newt if he would like to respond to his ex-wife's interview on ABC. King just gave him an opportunity to respond to the interview -- and remember Gingrich was Speaker when Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky was discovered, and it was Gingrich who wanted Clinton impeached for it. His hypocrisy knows no bounds.
Speaking of his mistresses - does anyone really want Callista Gingrich representing this country as First Lady? The First Lady should be someone kids can look up to, someone who is respected and respectable. This does not describe Callista Gingrich.
But there is no more obvious case to be made that Newt is willing to lie about anything to become President than what he has done about the subject of global warming. While he was Speaker Newt supported Al Gore's climate change initiatives. He worked with Nancy Pelosi (including doing an ad with her) on the subject, as well as John Kerry. In the past he has put party affiliation aside to be a rather staunch supporter of green issues. In 2007 he and co-author Terry Maple even wrote a book called A Contract With The Earth about conservation issues.
Times have changed, though. The Republicans have vilified Nancy Pelosi. They want to deny climate change exists, and particularly they want to deny that human activity is at all to blame. So what does Newt do? He does a 180 and gives the righties what they want - a climate change denier.
When Gingrich and Maple decided to write a follow-up to their book, they asked atmospheric scientist Katharine Hayhoe to do a chapter on global warming, which she did. She submitted it and was told it was accepted. Then Newt decided to run for President. What happened to the chapter she had written for the book? Well, unbeknownst to her, it would not be appearing in the book after all, but she didn't find that out via a nicely worded letter, or anything of the sort. She found that out when the video below from a Gingrich event was released. In it, a right-wing woman who is also a climate change denier approaches Gingrich and asks about the proposed chapter in his upcoming book. He assures her it won't be in the book, and then says it was never asked for.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9fiWtbK8Cw
Here is an article from thinkprogress.org that spells it all out:
http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2012/01/18/406148/chatting-with-the-climate-scientist-newt-gingrich-dissed/?mobile=nc
Newt Gingrich, you are a lying, slimy bastard. I'd tell you what I really think but I'm too much of a lady. You may become the Republican nominee -- if the Republicans in this country don't care about integrity or honesty -- but thank goodness you have no realistic shot of beating Obama. Our country should be represented by a President and First Lady whom Americans, as well as others around the world, can say deserve the honor of those offices. Newt, you are nothing more than an embarrassment.
