[PDR]

Any politician in America can be eailsy mis-quoted if the press decides it just going to be sloppy -- you're making up reasons trying to sound smart. He was not rendered impotent -- in fact, his side prevailed. If you think he's not a good spokesman you don't know what a good spokesman is, IMHO.

[LS]

Yeah, he was such a brilliant spokesman that the "revolution" that started with the Contract died after he screwed up the tactics in 1995. It went NOWHERE after that. We won nothing after welfare reform, thanks to Newt's concerns about where he was seated on the Air Force One trip to the Middle East, or his "whithering on the vine" comments.

I know a leader. Newt was one, briefly, but didn't know when to keep his mouth shut. He certainly isn't one now.