Repub or Dim rats? Snake Newt attacks Snake Mitt after being bitten by the Mitt snake...all’s fair in war and scumbag politics, right?
That was a test of character he created for himself, and then failed miserably.
People who live by their scruples don't say "I'll do this until someone attacks me, then I will do the thing I said I won't." You don't respond to others' attacks by altering your principles--that's the time to hold steady to what YOU believe in, and to hell with the other person's slimy attacks.
Newt didn't attack until he decided to attack. That's like being pro-life until you get someone pregnant and suddenly you want an abortion.
Newt is a smoldering IED in the middle of the entire Republican party—every time he vents his anger he destroys the chances of house and senate take over but that’s good according to him because he will have gotten his revenge. I was a huge fan but no more. Do you trust this angry man to have his finger on the red button?
Sometimes that sounded good in the early debates, and sometimes there was an air of phoniness about it. Looking back, I think Newt was just trying to lay out some great sounding ground rules that were really designed to shield him from criticism by.the other candidates.
As many have said, no Republican candidate has more baggage than Newt, and it was in his interest to create rules that protected him from criticism. But since everyone didn't follow his self-serving rules (what a shock!), Newt then became the most vicious attacker of all.
For many, this probably confirms what they've thought about Newt all along; lots of negatives come with his positives.
And it was a total joke to pretend that a group of ambitious politicians would go through a long campaign and never use negative ads.