AP Wire | 03/09/2007 | Gingrich confession spurs talk of presidential bid
Newt Gingrich made a belated mea culpa this week regarding his less than distinguished conduct during the now infamous Watergate Investigations into the alledgedly nefarious and deceptive actions of then-President Bill Clinton, specifically that he was engaged in an extra-marital affair at the time. Considering the fact that his plea for forgiveness has come nearly a decade after leaving Congress, I think it would be reasonable to assume that the former-Speaker of the House is more than just considering a run for the Republican nomination in 2008. A Gingrich candidacy has long been anticipated by Washington insiders, with Gingrich himself remaining consistently ambiguous, insisting that he will not announce his decision until September. But it seems unlikely, at least to me, that a man of his stature would expose himself and his family to the inevitable media attention and criticism for sins long forgiven if he was not dead set on mounting his charge for the GOP nomination in next years primaries.
There is no question that Newt is qualified, maybe even the most qualified of the likely contenders, and I suspect he would get the resounding endorsement of the religious right, which was proved instrumental in putting W over the top in his two presidential campaigns. There are few politicians in America that possess Gingrich's love for public service, and even fewer that possess his passion for the mundane affairs of bureaucratic micromanagement. When I was working in Washington for Speaker Hastert, I was shocked to see Gingrich's name appearing almost daily on the witness lists for committee hearings, sometimes two, three, even four hearings in one day! Considering the fact that the Congressmen who sit on these committees rarely consider the business before them serious enough to command their presence, such pure, unadulterated passion for the affairs of the Congress gave me the impression that Gingrich was either a very lonely man, or he was keeping himself fresh for a fight still to come.
To be continued...
There is no question that Newt is qualified, maybe even the most qualified of the likely contenders, and I suspect he would get the resounding endorsement of the religious right, which was proved instrumental in putting W over the top in his two presidential campaigns. There are few politicians in America that possess Gingrich's love for public service, and even fewer that possess his passion for the mundane affairs of bureaucratic micromanagement. When I was working in Washington for Speaker Hastert, I was shocked to see Gingrich's name appearing almost daily on the witness lists for committee hearings, sometimes two, three, even four hearings in one day! Considering the fact that the Congressmen who sit on these committees rarely consider the business before them serious enough to command their presence, such pure, unadulterated passion for the affairs of the Congress gave me the impression that Gingrich was either a very lonely man, or he was keeping himself fresh for a fight still to come.
To be continued...
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