Posted on 11/10/2006 6:59:08 AM PST by Pokey78
After having watched the majority he engineered in 1994 crumble in this week's elections, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich laid into President Bush and congressional Republicans in an Atlanta appearance Thursday.
Taking questions after a medical forum, the former GOP congressman from Cobb County said four c's — an absence of competence in Republican performance, an absence of candor, corruption and the bad advice of consultants — led to Tuesday's defeat.
But Gingrich saved his strongest words for President Bush's performance at the Wednesday press conference announcing Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld's resignation. Bush told reporters that he had planned to replace Rumsfeld since before the election, despite praising the unpopular defense secretary a week ago and saying he would remain for the duration of his presidency.
"If the president had decided to replace Secretary Rumsfeld he should have told us two weeks ago," Gingrich said. "I think that we would today control the Senate and probably have 10 to15 more House seats. And I found it very disturbing yesterday in the press conference, the explanation that the President gave.
"We need candor, we need directness," said Gingrich, a potential 2008 presidential candidate."We need to understand the threats we faced with are so frightening and so real, the danger that we'll lose two to three American cities so great, that we cannot play games with each other, cannot manipulate each other, we have to have an open and honest dialogue, and I found yesterday's staments at the press conference frankly very disturbing."
He condemned Bush's admission that in making last week's statement about Rumsfeld, he had known he was being misleading.
"It's inappropriate to cleverly come out the day after an election to do something we were told before the election would not be done," Gingrich said. "I think the timing was exactly backwards and I hope the President will rethink how he engages the American people and how he communicates with candor."
He contrasted the euphoria of 1994, when his Contract with America agenda helped ended decades of Democratic rule in the House, with the bitterness of Tuesday night's Democratic sweep.
"I remember what it felt like the night we were at the Cobb Galleria and for the first time in 40 years we won control of the House and (there was) the Contract with America and people were very exicted about welfare reform and cutting taxes and balancing the budget and all those things, and I have to say 12 years later that I'm very disappointed, but if you look at what I've said all year, I'm not surprised."
As for whatRepublicans should do now, he said, "I believe the House and Senate Republicans and the White House need to take a deep breath and think very seriously about this election result, because I think we're at a very important turning point this is either a temporary interruption of what has been a gradually consolidating center-right majority, or this is a breakdown of that center-right majority leading to a significant effort to establish a center-left government majority."
Hastert's defending of William Jefferson, D-LA, was the straw that broke the camel's back.
I agree about the Rumsfeld thing. If Bush had said in August or early September that Rumsfeld was on his way out, conservatives would have held and independents would have been more inclined to stay GOP.
Waiting until a week or two before the election to replace Rumsfeld would have been counter-productive. Conservatives would have been more angry.
The window of opportunity was no later than Labor Day.
I listen to Newt. Smart man...he will be a force to reckon with in 08....a strong conservative who stood up to Clinton and brought the republicans to glory.
I wonder what the cause was? Maybe being married to John Kerry and having to make every decision form him.
I think you 're right.
Got any suggestions for 08?
To this day, I do not understand why they abandoned the emphasis on judge appointments.
I like Mike Pence.
But then again, this is FreeRepublic, so who cares WHAT people like Rush and Newt have to say, given our possession of keyboards and internet hookups.
Newt for Vice-President 2008
Please. I don't have a favorite nominee yet for 2008 but his marital problems would not keep me from voting for him if he is in line with most of my conservative values.
You can't argue that he successfully brought us back from the cliff of "done" once before. he is a political genius.
Ok. I'll play. Why?
The President knew exactly what he was doing, he wanted to get rid of that pesky Republican congress so he could get his Illegal Amnesty bill passed.
He was almost giddy at the prospect of giving the Dems everything they want, especially the Amnesty bill.
Rogan got beat in the Clinton impeachment fallout.
BUMP!
Why does Newt have to have a June and Ward Cleaver personal life?
He's no worse the Xlinton
He is now a superior court judge in Orange County, CA. (appointed by America's Fav RINO, Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Wasn't there a story during the 2004 election season that his first wife had to tell Kerry to shut up at some dinner party because he was going on and on?
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