Poor Newt.

He sees the imminent demise of the Republican Party and is trying to save it single-handedly by coughing up some sensible perspectives. Who'da thunk?

He'd better watch out, or Gonzo is going to get him.

the Saturday Night Live sketch where William Shatner told an audience of Trekkies at a Star Trek Convention what they didn't want to hear, but probably needed to be told. Except, in this case, there was no witty allusion at the end of the speech to take the edge off the whole spectacle.

Sadly the whole exercise at the DC gathering was likely wasted on its audience.

Newt is looking too old and baggy.

No way he'd win an election.

he was visted by the ghosts of Elections Past, Present, and Future.

Right so maybe someone can correct me on this, but from my understanding, Nixon rode to fame on anti-Commie propaganda and highly partisan rhetoric as well as a questionable record on honesty. Then he went from the Senate to the vice-presidency and after a few years to the presidency, making every effort to appear somewhat moderate. He promised a successful end to the Vietnam War and warmer relations with the Soviet Union and China. (Which I will grant was a plus.)

And well the rest is history, isn't it? Now we have Newt, distancing himself from his past as a partisan hack and recreating himself as a bipartisan intellectual.

Kudos for the speech, but the past is still the past. And no one should be labeled a partisan hack for pointing it out.

I agree 100% with what Gingrich said. And it definitely took courage for him to say in in that venue. He's a very bright and perceptive guy -- and always has been. But should we just wipe the slate clean for someone who had no small part in constructing the political sewer in which we all now must dwell?

Newt is a fascinating guy. I could even imagine inviting him for dinner, and not feel compelled to count the silverware afterwards. But even if he's come around to seeing that the movement conservatism he helped found is headed for a bad end, that may be "bright and perceptive," but does it in any way show a new moral compass?

No, it does not.

Those brainwashed liberal hating zombies can't digest truth, even when one of their own feeds it to them. They'd rather have their ears tickled by the likes of Inhofe and Malkin who have the credibility of Holocaust deniers. The future, under republicans, will affect Mr.Gingrich's grandchildren as horribly as it will affect mine. That realization, and the fact that conservatism under his party has been a complete failure, is the basis for his change of heart. But his message won't penetrate the shell of hate and ignorance those young republicans cling to so tenaciously. It would take a reinstatement of the draft to wake up those clueless hypocrites. But I'm sure they'd emulate their leaders who found a way to dodge the draft. Or they'd do what our Demander and Thief did- hide out in a cushy assignment care of the taxpayers. Mr.Gingrich assumed that audience was open minded.

The fact they showed up to hear that line-up of haters and liars should have been a tip-off.

Were Cons-and-selfserve-atives born without common sense and social responsibility? Or were they indoctrinated to hate through their apostate form of christianity? That's it- too many summers at jesus camp!

I'd go a little further.

Since Republicans love to talk about things like honor, integrity and responsibility, I'd like to see how many members of the Republican party are pushing Congress to pass a bill to draft all Republicans, effective for the rest of the duration of our occupation of Iraq.

I'm curious. Did the several branches of the armed forces have any recruiters there? And if so, how many of the war-mongering little snots signed up?

Dividing the country into blue and red zones only serves those who benefit from division. This administration in the White House has benefited from obfuscating the real issues and Americans are paying a terrible cost. Ask yourself who this administration has benefited. Our country is in serious trouble and has no need for mind numbing distraction, lies and incompetence for the sake of corporate greed.

Thank God Newt is speaking up for reason and truth.

Marguerite

This is absolutely a sinister political ploy on Gingrich's part. There is simply no way that it isn't.

When Republicans talk about "bipartisanship" and "politicization", it is *always* just their nefarious way of starting to shift attention away from the fact that they fucked everything up. Not "the political system", not "Washington", the *Republican Party* fucked everything up. *They* did it. And they should be made to pay the political piper. Gingrich is just starting the process of positioning himself to pretend that this was not the case, and to try to avoid paying the piper.

I say, fuck him and every single other Republican that completely fucked everything up. "The Republican Doctrine" was Gingrich's doctrine! He invented it! Any Democrat who is "encouraged" by anything that comes out of the filthy mouth of any loyal Republican is living in a world of gross delusion.

It may be easy to forget what a slick politician Newt is b/c he made one (granted huge) error in judgment in terms of the public's reaction to the showdown with Bill Clinton over shutting down the federal goverment...but don't be fooled, he definitely had a hidden agenda in making these false overtures of moderation....I'm not sure if this has anything to do with his remarks, but you will find a lot Republicans shying away from their normal bashing sessions of Hillary for one simple, Machiavellian reason: they are convinced there is no way Hillary can win the Presidency.

The people who are reminding all of us what a bastard Newt is, I'm not sure what your point is. I wrote an earlier post in which I explained that I have no problem railing against the Republican agenda. The key word is "agenda". I don't need to hate Newt, or Cheney, or even Bush. I also don't need to hate crimiinals, drug addicts, or even terrorists. I believe you are what you do. You can make causes based on truth, or you can make causes based on selfishness. If you make causes based on selfishness, don't be surprised if it eventually comes around to bite you in the ass. Which brings me back to Newt.

Newt was a driving force in what has become the Republican party of today, and it isn't pretty. I for one always like to assume the best in people, and therfore I care nothing for Newt's past at this moment. At this moment, I see someone who had a meltdown on stage, and that's it. Is it a moment of clarity? Has he changed his ways? I don't know and I don't really care. I'm just happy that it happened, and that those students heard a bit of reality leak into what was otherwise a hate-fest. If I was Newt, I'd be ashamed too.

Bush on the other hand can't afford to be ashamed. He's still in power and he needs to save face. Gingrich has no face to save. It's precisely BECAUSE of who Gingrich was and is that the story is interesting. It doesn't mean we are all now going to vote for Newt. The world is not black and white, and neither are people. People change and we can honor that without losing control of our facalties.

I'm not sure if what I'm saying is making any sense so I'll just stop here.