Gingrich was right... correct, though the president's policies didn't have a thing to do with the point Gingrich was attempting to make. What he said had nothing to do with Bush OR Powell, an important point all of the media seems to have missed, as did the White House. Gingrich was talking about career Arabists within the State Department.
In order for the leader of the State Department to create policy for any particular country, he needs to rely on the advice of those who are dedicated to understanding the languages & cultures of the region in question.
Run a search on "Arabist" & you might better understand what I'm getting at. http://www.danielpipes.org/article/885 http://www.yahoodi.com/peace/arabists.html http://www.washington-report.org/backissues/081285/850812003.html