Newt Gingrich Throws Bombs At "McCarthyist," "Radical" Obama

Sam Stein

Newt Gingrich Throws Bombs At "McCarthyist," "Radical" Obama (VIDEO)
VIDEO at link~
05/10/09 11:05 AM


In an interview that was fiery even by his standards, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich accused the Obama administration of coddling terrorists, labeled the idea of investigating the Bush administration as modern day "McCarthyism," and falsely charged that the Democratic-controlled Congress never tried to outlaw torture.

It was, if nothing else, a tour de force in oppositional politics. Sitting down with "Fox News Sunday," Gingrich insisted that the former firm of Attorney General Eric Holder had represented 17 alleged terrorists on a pro-bono basis. "For no fee," he added, for good measure. "It is the largest single thing they were doing for free, defending Yemenis."

Firms like Holder's Covington & Burling, of course, have represented alleged terrorist under the notion that everyone deserves a legal defense, not out of some shared ideology or political sympathies. But context and clarification weren't Gingrich's order of business on Sunday. There was, he claimed, a "weird pattern" of the current White House being on the wrong side in the war on terror.

"You look at this administration," he said. "You look at the Obama administration, the number of attorneys that have been appointed who were defending alleged terrorists. There's this weird pattern where the Bush people wanted to defend Americans and were pretty tough on terrorists. These guys are prepared to take huge risks with Americans in order to defend terrorists."

And yet, even as he was asking the Obama administration lawyers whether they are now or have ever been representing terrorists, Gingrich managed to make accusations of McCarthyism. On the topic of investigating the authorization of torture by the Bush administration, he claimed: "What we're seeing now in a very sad way is as bitter a partisan attack on the Bush people, as much as we've seen since the McCarthy era. The degree that they're putting specific people at risk for criminal prosecution is unprecedented in modern America."

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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/10/newt-gingrich-throws-kitc_n_201314.html

Little fear mongers with big fat mouths.

just the other day in front of the WH after a meeting? These people are fucking psycho.

Oh yes, the fellow who was leading the charge against Bill Clinton for cheating on his wife while he was . . . cheating on his wife. Isn't it nice of Fox to provide him a national platform? Two entities rushing headlong to oblivion.

of another bj.

of relevancy. He wants to be a contender again, a mover and a shaker. He's trying to get some traction to move out in front of the others jockeying for position for 2012. The problem is, if he tries to sound moderate, reasonable and intelligent he will be ignored by the party base, and disparaged by the party hierarchy (Limbaugh, et al). So how do you stand out when you're surrounded by batshit crazy? Why, by being even more batshit crazy!

presidential election.

...he just can't seem to get anybody to agree with him.

That dog isn't going to hunt anymore.

Here's ten bucks, go shave your nuts.

He's been trying to update his poison words lists for his next Contract On America.

Wonder if Frank Luntz told him that "McCarthyism" still has a universal negative resonance, so he pulled it out to give it a spin.

And I guess Rove's been helping too because it seemed like Rove loved to accuse others of the vicious techniques he himself was using. i.e. Tell Republicans to be very partisan and never concede a single vote. Then turn around and call the other side "too partisan."

We used to volunteer at a rescue place for neglected and abused exotic pets. I got hit once with monkey poop. It did stick - but I just showered and it was gone. Big deal.