Newt Gingrich walks back Mitt Romney fit: 'Foolish on my part'

Politico ^ | 12/15/2011 | MAGGIE HABERMAN

[TBBT]

Talking to Iowa Public Television this morning, Newt Gingrich was remorseful about having blasted Mitt Romney over his time at Bain Capital - a rebuke that was not a response to a hit, and which conservative elites slammed him over for employing the same argument as Democrats:

“I do regret taking a shot at Mitt. It was foolish on my part. He had taken one more shot at me that he knew wasn’t true and made an assertion that he knew was absurd, but it violated all the core principles I have in terms of trying to stay positive despite temptation,” Gingrich said. “It also communicated something I don’t believe in. I think people who run those companies have an obligation to run the companies effectively and to do the best they can and I’ve said in the past, many times, that he’s a good manager.”

Current and former members of congress who served with Gingrich have suggested his leadership style make him unfit for the presidency.

“I don’t respond to my former colleagues,” Gingrich said. “I tell the public I was a very strong speaker. I helped drive us to a majority for the first time in 40 years. I helped develop the first reelection as a (Republican House) majority since 1948 and, remember, I’m getting this stuff done with Bill Clinton (in the White House).”

[greeneyes]

“Yeah, they hate a guy who speaks up when they are pissing in his soup.”

I heard that! So True is it not? Mitt started it, and Newt responded in kind. It didn't bother me a bit. If someone attacks, you are entitled to defend yourself. Maybe there was a better way to do it, but the pundits fake outrage, cause they needed something to work to bring Newt down.

There is a difference between being a capitalist who begins a company such as Home Depot, Walmart, etc., and one who goes in as a turnaround specialist who downsizes companies and lays people off.

[org.whodat]

Wrong one was a in private business, the other was doing this : http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influence_peddling

[pallis]

Newt’s biggest enemy is Newt, and he knows it when it happens.

[ImpBill]

It is a smart move. I hope tonight in the Fox debate he can keep his cool. I have liked Newt for his brilliant mind even in the days when it wasn’t pc to like him, especially here on FR. He is fighting the entire GOP Establishment, which it seems to be bent on nominating Mitt Romney for some insane reason.

[Gator113]

Agreed.

[Pollster1]

Current and former members of congress who served with Gingrich have suggested his leadership style make him unfit for the presidency.

I'm going to go way out on a limb and guess that most of those anonymous "Current and former members of congress" are in the same political party as 98% of the media. I'm not all that interested in taking Pelosi's advice on who the GOP should nominate.

[Antoninus]

It is a smart move. It’s Ciceronean in that it allows him to revisit the issue and take a back-handed slap at Romney at the same time.

[InterceptPoint]

I'm sorry. I don't agree.

I have a bit of different opinion than most here on FR vis a vis "lobbying". I consider it an honorable profession in general. Of course it is abused by the politicians who just want that campaign fund money so they can keep getting re-elected. And they are perfectly willing to trade favors to get those bucks. The problem isn't the lobbyists, it's the elected officials.

But the general purpose of lobbyists is to protect the interests of their client companies from the onslaught of government regulations and taxes that are destined to damage the ability of those companies to actually function.

Get government out of our business and the lobbyists will go home.

[Republic_of_Secession.]

Newt Gingrich IS THE ESTABLISHMENT. He has actually boasted about being an “insider”. If he were not establishment he would not be getting this suspicious “surge” in the polls. Furthermore go back & read post # 7 here. Newt Gingrich is a proponent of AGW theory & in favor of carbon taxes. No thanks - let’s try to support an actual Republican.

[Diogenesis]

This is ROMNEY-PROP from Politico.

Know the Romney dirty tricks for what they are.

[Gator113]

Agreed.

I also think it was in prep for possible attacks on this issue in tonights debate.

[Servant of the Cross]

Current and former members of congress who served with Gingrich have suggested his leadership style make him unfit for the presidency

And some who worked with him in Congress have suggested his leadership would be great in the Presidency ...

Cheney: When Newt showed up he said, we can become the majority, we can take back the House of Representatives. We hadn't had the House since the 1940s. And initially, none of us believed it. But he was persistent, he was tenacious. He kept it up, kept it up, and kept it up. Finally by '94 he's the newly elected Speaker of the House of Representatives with a Republican majority. So I wouldn't underestimate him.

[Logical me]

Newt Gingrich IS THE ESTABLISHMENT. He has actually boasted about being an “insider”

Thank God he is an insider. Because knowing how things work is the only way to get anything done. I know that will be hard for you to understand but to train an outsider would take many years to just get up to speed and that will be a loss of getting much done. Washington is not a simple game but a very complex machine and outsiders may never understand. Get it?????

[Signalman]

This is, what, about the 8th apology this month Gingrich has made for saying something dumb? You start to wonder, after a while.

[bigbob]

Well this will be a test of his consistency - come back in a few months and see how he’s done in standing firm on his “core principles”.

[ImpBill]

Actually, in that I am not an "actual Republican", I am not really supporting anyone in this GOP primary season. I simply have liked Newt's mind and his understanding of our founding for years now.

I do like your nick name however and living in Texas I have supported the secession movement for quite some time. But that is a different topic.

I do hope you actual Republicans can nominate an actual conservative this time around, but it seems they are at the bottom of the heap in the fatally flawed GOP primary process.

[Signalman]

Washington is not a simple game but a very complex machine and outsiders may never understand. Get it?????

Yeah, it takes years to learn about all the bribes, political payoffs, quid pro quo, nepotism and outright corruption that one needs to learn in order to be a successful Washington insider.

[X-spurt]

What isle?

[Signalman]

Washington is not a simple game but a very complex machine and outsiders may never understand. Get it?????

Yeah, it takes years to learn about all the bribes, political payoffs, quid pro quo, nepotism and outright corruption that one needs to learn in order to be a successful Washington insider.

[TomGuy]

Newt Gingrich IS THE ESTABLISHMENT. He has actually boasted about being an “insider”.

If one listened to any of his pre-presidential run commentaries, one would hear "we are going to do this" or "we did that" or "we support such and so" or "we support this bill" or "we are going to fight against that bill", etc. Everything was 'we' 'we' 'we'.

I always wondered who that 'we' was, since Gingrich was not in an elective office.

Of course, that kind of rhetoric only comes from an insider.