Replies

“Newt Gingrich had an epiphany. He had to, or he would have self-destructed.”

20 years later.

“Later he was sexually molested by a high school teacher.”

Uh, he was 18 at the time when he married her. Are you suggesting that this so-called ‘alpha male’, CHOSE to marry a woman that he didn’t love as an adult wasn’t ready to take on the obligations of a family?

“She asked for the divorce, not he.”

Right, when she was being treated for Ovarian cancer and found out that Newt was cheating on her in violation of his oath to love, honor and obey. Does Newt not get this?

He married her, he chose to marry her, nobody forced him to do it, he did it and bears the consequences. He can’t turn back the clock, even if he made a mistake.

That’s what men do. They stick with their family, they don’t walk out on them, or trade them for a newer model when the old one gets worn out.

“This man was carrying a troubled emotional burden”

Right. Puhleeze. I know people who have suffered tremendously. You wouldn’t know it because they don’t make excuses.

“What I’ve found shocking is the enormous number of so-called Christians here at Free Republic who are nothing of the sort.”

Wow, there’s that moniker again. ‘So-called Christian.’. Thanks! Again, it’s a badge of honor.

“Christians are not better than other people, Ben.”

When making a decision as to the most qualified person, we look at the qualities that they do exhibit. Yes, Christians are not good persons, but we try to put good Christians into positions of leadership, so that they can serve and help those who aren’t as strong.

“They forgive others, ask forgiveness for themselves, and try to lead a better life by not sinning further.”

Forgiveness requires repentence. That would mean leaving his mistress to return to his wife. If Newt did that, I would have no problem supporting him, because it would demonstrate that he understands that what he did was wrong.

“I’m disgusted with the bigots who claim they are Christian but do not put it into daily practice - people like YOU!”

Oh. So I don’t put it into practice.

What do you know about me? Please, go on, tell us. Have I been married? How long was I married? How many children do I have? What church do I go to? How long have I attended there?

“Only a belt-way insider knows where all the bodies are buried.”

So now the argument becomes - it’s good that he’s an insider. Weren’t you just saying that he was an outsider? If I wanted an insider, I’d vote in Obama.

“Gingrich is a bulldog compared to Santorum the Golden Retriever puppy.”

Well, this ‘so-called Christian’, would rather support faithful Christians.

“Right, when she was being treated for Ovarian cancer and found out that Newt was cheating on her in violation of his oath to love, honor and obey. Does Newt not get this?”

THIS was PROVEN TO BE A LIE made up by the media...

Setting the Record Straight
Share
Comment

My father, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, has been in politics as long as I can remember.

And as long as I can remember, media coverage about him has contained misstatements of facts. The vast majority are simple mistakes that are easily corrected, understood and rewoven into an ongoing storyline.

But one of them seems to have taken on a life of its own, and simple corrections have not sufficed to set the record straight. Why does this happen? I can’t be sure, but I suspect that the narrative created by these untruths proves to be so much more compelling and more dramatic than what actually happened that it proves irresistible.

I’m talking about the story of my father’s visit to my mother while she was in the hospital in 1980.

For years, I have thought about trying to correct the untrue accounts of this hospital visit. After all, I was at the hospital with them, and saw and heard what happened. But I have always hesitated, as it was a private family matter and my mother is a very private person. In addition, for the four people involved, it was one of a million interactions and was not considered a defining event by any of us.

My mother and I have both recently run into quite a few people who hold an inaccurate understanding of this hospital visit. Many think my mother is dead.

So, to correct the record, here is what happened: My mother, Jackie Battley Gingrich, is very much alive, and often spends time with my family. I am lucky to have such a “Miracle Mom,” as I titled her in a column this week.

As for my parents’ divorce, I can remember when they told me.

It was the spring of 1980.
AD FEEDBACK
I was 13 years old, and we were about to leave Fairfax, Va., and drive to Carrollton, Ga., for the summer. My parents told my sister and me that they were getting a divorce as our family of four sat around the kitchen table of our ranch home.

Soon afterward, my mom, sister and I got into our light-blue Chevrolet Impala and drove back to Carrollton.

Later that summer, Mom went to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta for surgery to remove a tumor. While she was there, Dad took my sister and me to see her.

It is this visit that has turned into the infamous hospital visit about which many untruths have been told. I won’t repeat them. You can look them up online if you are interested in untruths. But here’s what happened:

My mother and father were already in the process of getting a divorce, which she requested.

Dad took my sister and me to the hospital to see our mother.

She had undergone surgery the day before to remove a tumor.

The tumor was benign.

As with many divorces, it was hard and painful for all involved, but life continued.

As have many families, we have healed; we have moved on.

We are not a perfect family, but we are knit together through common bonds, commitment and love.

My mother and father are alive and well, and my sister and I are blessed to have a close relationship with them both.

My sister and I feel that it is time to move on, close the book on this event and focus on building a great future. We will not answer additional questions or make additional comments regarding this meaningless incident, which occurred more than three decades ago.

As I said, my mother is a private person. She will not give media interviews. She deserves respect and should be allowed to live in peace.

To find out more about Jackie Gingrich Cushman, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit www.creators.com.

DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM