Gingrich admits affair, but not hypocrisy

[Tricky]

I don't know whether to applaud his honesty or puke all over his hypocrisy. Newt Gingrich has admitted having an affair, even while he was trying to hound Bill Clinton from office for the same offense. His excuse? The usual. Clinton was sitting in front of a judge when he denied it. Gingrich was luckily (for him) spared the opportunity to face such a situation. That makes him a better person, right? Well, he says so.

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

Yeah, he drew a line all right. He drew the line between Democrats and Republicans. He knew that the only reason Clinton had been pressed on the issue was because of a witch hunt. He knew that he was using the exact same moral code as the president. He never said a word because no judge or federal prosecutor had asked him.

Of course, Republicans have disowned him because of his hypocrisy, right?

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.

Actually, I'd love to see him run. I'd love to see his hypocrisy laid out on the slab and dissected by the press. It would be so fitting. But of course, that won't happen. Moderate Republicans and independents would join the ranks of Democrats in spanking this bad boy for his two-faced pandering. But then, he might liked being spanked. There is a lot he didn't bother to tell us.

 

[RandFan]

PWD? You are in the Religion and Philosophy forum. Ok, not like I've never done that.

Oh, I vote hypocrite, Gingrich that is, not me.

 

[billydkid]

I wonder how many Congressmen were diddling pages at the same time they were raking Billary over the coals for getting a hummer in the Oval Office.

 

[Mephisto]

I wonder how many Congressmen were diddling pages at the same time they were raking Billary over the coals for getting a hummer in the Oval Office.

Well we know of at least one.

 

[Tricky]

PWD? You are in the Religion and Philosophy forum. Ok, not like I've never done that.

I blame Al Franken.



(Actually, it's because I've been spamming the forum with my TLA messages, so I forgot where I was. I caught it as soon as it came up and asked Lisa to fix it , but she took too long.)

 

[Lisa Simpson]

For instant moderator gratification, go to:

http://www.skepticsrock.com/chatnow

I'm usually there, and so is Terry. Sometimes Darat, jmercer and Paul da Greek are there as well. Really, all the cool kids hang out there.

On to the OP - I am shocked, I tell you, SHOCKED, that Newt could be so hypocritical. A politician who is a hypocrite. What are the odds?

 

[ponderingturtle]

For instant moderator gratification, go to:

http://www.skepticsrock.com/chatnow

I'm usually there, and so is Terry. Sometimes Darat, jmercer and Paul da Greek are there as well. Really, all the cool kids hang out there.

On to the OP - I am shocked, I tell you, SHOCKED, that Newt could be so hypocritical. A politician who is a hypocrite. What are the odds?

Statisticaly 2.

It is a well known fact that when measureing what percentage of politicians are hypocrites is the only time you can get probabilities greater than 100%

 

[Crossbow]

If you like the Gingrich story, you will love the Sanchez story!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/thenation/20070307/cm_thenation/45172362_1

A Gay Porn Star is Honored at CPAC

The Nation -- A former gay porn star and male escort was awarded the Jeanne Kirkpatrick Freedom award at last weekend's CPAC. He is Cpl. Matt Sanchez, a Marine, campus culture warrior and Fox News favorite who David Horowitz introduced me to at CPAC.

...

Glass houses, stone throwing, that sort of thing.

 

[Darth Rotor]

If you like the Gingrich story, you will love the Sanchez story!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/thenation/20070307/cm_thenation/45172362_1

A Gay Porn Star is Honored at CPAC

The Nation -- A former gay porn star and male escort was awarded the Jeanne Kirkpatrick Freedom award at last weekend's CPAC.

He is Cpl. Matt Sanchez, a Marine, campus culture warrior and Fox News favorite who David Horowitz introduced me to at CPAC.

...

Glass houses, stone throwing, that sort of thing.

I am missing something here. How is a gay (former?) Marine corporal in a glass house throwing stones? There is no law that I know of against being gay and conservative. I also seem to recall a group of folks referring to themselves as "Log Cabin Republicans" who represented some gay conservatives, or claimed to.

On the other hand, the Rod Majors story had me cracking up. I did not open the pics, NSFW warnings were well placed. Thanks to the authors for that.

Max Blumenthal's psychoanalysis I could do without, but I found him on the mark regarding those blowhards "wrapping themselves in uniform" while (Max didn't say this) those in uniform are bleeding for their policy.

DR

 

[zakur]

Paying Lip Service

If you believe Newt Gingrich's former mistress Anne Manning, the Speaker has for decades relied on the blowjob as the sex act with built-in plausible deniability. Referring to her first date in 1977 with Gingrich, Manning told Vanity Fair in 1995: "We had oral sex. He prefers that modus operandi because then he can say, 'I never slept with her."'

Gingrich's hypocrisy re: the Lewinsky affair is astounding. That he is still beloved on he Right is even more astounding.

 

[Garrette]

At risk of being roasted myself, I have to at least partially come to Gingrich's defense.

The investigation, grand jury, and impeachment were undoubtedly politically motivated, and for that Gingrich et al deserve to be pilloried.

But the impeachment was not over the blow job; it was over lying under oath about it.

It should not have been pursued as it was not material to the proceedings, but we need not continue an old canard. If the truth isn't sufficient to lambast Gingrich, then don't lambast him. If it is sufficient --and I think it obvious that it is -- then why abandon it for a misrepresentation?

 

[ImaginalDisc]

But the impeachment was not over the blow job; it was over lying under oath about it.

But why was he compelled to testify under oath in the first place? How was it anyone else's business to begin with?

 

[RandFan]

But why was he compelled to testify under oath in the first place? How was it anyone else's business to begin with?

There's an argument there but I'm not convinced one way or the other. We can all find reasons why we shouldn't be compelled to tell the truth in a legal proceeding. None of them make it ok to do. Still, I would have personally preferred that the Republicans wouldn't have pursued this in the way they did. A complaint to the bar would have been fine.

 

[Garrette]

But why was he compelled to testify under oath in the first place? How was it anyone else's business to begin with?

I said as much that this was politically driven and shouldn't have happened.

THAT'S your complaint, and it's a legitimate one. Don't weaken it by adding the falsity about him being impeached for a blowjob.

 

[Upchurch]

But why was he compelled to testify under oath in the first place? How was it anyone else's business to begin with?

Personal ethics aside, there was a potential issue of boss/aide coercion and misconduct.

However, given that Lewinsky never filed harassment charges...

 

[headscratcher4]

The truly great irony of the Clinton years is that Bill has made it possible for every politition to cheat on their wife/husband/family and have hope that they can get away with it with a timely mia culpa before a "pro-family" audience...it will especially benefit the GOP and Rudy, Newt and probably others would perfer that their family/love lifes be either out of bounds or innoculated.

 

[ImaginalDisc]

I said as much that this was politically driven and shouldn't have happened.

THAT'S your complaint, and it's a legitimate one. Don't weaken it by adding the falsity about him being impeached for a blowjob.

I don't recall having said that. He was investigated for a blow job, one which was in no way criminal. Lewinsky never pressed charges for harassment, so the investigation shouldn't have taken place at all.

 

[ImaginalDisc]

There's an argument there but I'm not convinced one way or the other. We can all find reasons why we shouldn't be compelled to tell the truth in a legal proceeding. None of them make it ok to do. Still, I would have personally preferred that the Republicans wouldn't have pursued this in the way they did. A complaint to the bar would have been fine.

That's not what I mean. He wasn't accused of doing anything illegal, and no one pressed any charges against him, so why was there an investigation? Because he was cheating on his wife? I don't recall a similar investigation into Kennedy's private life.

 

[headscratcher4]

I don't recall having said that. He was investigated for a blow job, one which was in no way criminal. Lewinsky never pressed charges for harassment, so the investigation shouldn't have taken place at all.

Oddly, same argument the right is using in urging the pres. pardon libbly...no not the BJ, but that there was no underlying crime so the prosecution for lying about it should never have taken place.

I reject this conclusion, but that is essentially what is being argued about Libby. It is important to keep in mind that Bill Clinton's lies will always be worse than anyone else's lies. Sort of a lies, damn lies and Bill Clinton lies higherarcy of deception.

 

[pgwenthold]

Can someone clarify something for me: Was this affair by Newt cheating on his current wife? Or was it with his current wife cheating on his previous wife?

I'm just trying to get it straight.