Do as Newt Gingrich says, not as he does.

1. It’s interesting to see all of this resurface after so many years.

   But what’s rarely reported about Newt’s affair is that it was common knowledge among Hill staffers long before it ever broke in the press.

2. Gingrich’s conduct with respect to his wife was reprehensible. That didn’t disqualify him from leading the impeachment charge, though.

   There’s nothing hypocritical about it because he didn’t lead an attack on Clinton for having an affair. He led an attack on the President of the United States for committing perjury. I suppose if Newt had committed perjury about HIS affair, that would’ve been hypocritical.

3. Gingrich attacked his colleagues in the House on charges of ethical and financial improprieties while clawing his way to be elected Speaker of the House in 1994. From his powerful vantage, Newt became the center of his own investigation conducted by the strongly Republican Ethics Committee.

   Gingrich had accepted a multimillion-dollar book advance from a Rupert Murdoch company while the media tycoon was an interested party to legislation pending in Congress. Gingrich also had a “nonprofit” project that solicited money to aid poor, urban children, but most of the donations were poured into Republican recruiting. For two years Gingrich denied that he had done anything wrong, then grudgingly admitted that he had given untrue information to the House ethics panel. Some people believe that giving untrue information to a House investigation is equivalent to lying under oath.

   Gingrich claimed that his only failure was to have not consulted a tax lawyer. Two lawyers were on record as having warned the Congressman of liability six years earlier. In January 1997, Gingrich admitted his violations and agreed to a rebuke. He was penalized $300,000.

4. Jon – they only *impeached* Clinton for the alleged perjury, that wasn’t the only thing they attacked him about. There are plenty of Gingrich quotes that amply demonstrate his hypocrisy.

5. I think he was probably something a scumbag in his personal life. Didn’t he serve his 1st wife with divorce papers when she was in the hospital recovering from cancer surgery? Something like that anyway. But he probably wasn’t any worse ethically/personally than Jim Wright, Bill Clinton, or Rudy Guliani.

6. In a few days, it might be interesting to line up the columns that say “But he was attacking Clinton for perjury, a real crime!” against columns by the same writers saying that “Scooter Libby committed no real crime!”. Of course, it will only be interesting to those of us who value integrity or reasoned thought.

   ~

   I am surprised that people are surprised about this, though. Wasn’t this already in the public domain? I might be mistaking common gossip for news coverage, though. I’m not sure you could find anyone working on the hill during the impeachment that didn’t know (or think they knew) about Gingrich and Bisek.

7. Eewww!! You mean someone willingly had sex with Newt Gingrich?

8. Hey, MB, thanks for declaring your membership in the club of folks “who value integrity or reasoned thought,” but I think your usual unctuous self-righteousness is evidence enough.

9. And what’s your point, Smails? That a predictable little man like you is really upset that you’re not considered the standard bearer of integrity and reasoned thought? Don’t worry, you’re an exemplar of plenty of other things.

10. I still remember when Sean Hannity went after Al Franken during Whitewater for saying that Gingrich has a mistress. Hannity called it a smear.

11. To mindless defenders/apologists/attack dogs the truth is a smear. This isn’t about Clinton, really. Gingrich is a complete hypocrit. He has made a political career espousing certain values and throwing mud at people whom he has decided do not stand up to those values. By definition … hypocrit.

    He did push the impeachment for perjury (he couldn’t do it for adultery could he?). But his talk and walk were about something else.

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