Absolutely not! Or as Paul said in Romans 6: "God forbid!" There are consequences to all sin, but the whole meaning of the gospel is that God has provided a way for us to be forgiven for our sins. All of them.
I am not opposed to the idea that men should be forgiven their sins. God will provide the forgiveness. He will expunge the record, and grant the sinner salvation. I on the other hand can forgive a man his sins, but still understand that the wages of sin don't end simply because a man has repented. If this were what was expected of us as Christians, then there would be no need for prisons. You sin, you pay the penalty.
If you wish to be seen as a person people can trust, then you live a trustworthy life. You can't become a two time loser on infidelity, then ask people to treat you as a person who has fidelity. Forgiveness is one thing, and prudence is another.
Look, if this didn't apply to having fidelity as it applies to Conservative principles, I wouldn't be addressing this as I am. Newt has not shown fidelity to Conservative principles. While I may understand that he is sorry for what he has done in the past, I must use some judgement when it comes to putting him into a position of trust again. I don't have a basis for doing so. There are plenty of other roles for Newt to play, where he could do something positive for society. I just don't see the Oval Office as the place to test my and other Conservatives trust of him.
I know you mean well, but I didnt buy the Clinton defense then, and I dont buy it now. Please dont make it in front of my kids.
You clearly misread my statement about Bill Clinton. What makes Clinton different from Gingrich is that Clinton never acknowledged his actions or repented for them. If he had swallowed his pride and publicly repented for what he did, I believe that would have put his past to rest. It was Clinton's failure to do so that still besmirches his character.
And it is Newt's proclivity to abandon Conservatism every time the mood strikes him, and do whatever he feels like at the moment, no matter what that telegraphs to Conservatives. While he does express some level of repentence, he also continues to make statements that leave little doubt that he still doesn't grasp what it is he did, that he needed to appologize for.
His comments on tying global warming to a business economic solution, is still VERY troubling. His comments about gifting illegals with a pathway, is yet another example.
I have no dispute with your well-reasoned arguments in Post 32, and I even share some of your concerns. My reaction was to your earlier, more flippant reference to Gingrich’s past marital problems, which reflected more personal venom than principled argument. While I don’t think Newt Gingrich is the best candidate we could hope for, he is certainly no Marxist and I would enthusiastically support him against Obama.