Posted on 03/08/2007 7:02:04 PM PST by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON - Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich acknowledged he was having an extramarital affair even as he led the charge against President Clinton over the Monica Lewinsky affair, he acknowledged in an interview with a conservative Christian group.
"The honest answer is yes," Gingrich, a potential 2008 Republican presidential candidate, said in an interview with Focus on the Family founder James Dobson to be aired Friday, according to a transcript provided to The Associated Press. "There are times that I have fallen short of my own standards. There's certainly times when I've fallen short of God's standards."
Gingrich argued in the interview, however, that he should not be viewed as a hypocrite for pursuing Clinton's infidelity.
"The president of the United States got in trouble for committing a felony in front of a sitting federal judge," the former Georgia congressman said of Clinton's 1998 House impeachment on perjury and obstruction of justice charges. "I drew a line in my mind that said, 'Even though I run the risk of being deeply embarrassed, and even though at a purely personal level I am not rendering judgment on another human being, as a leader of the government trying to uphold the rule of law, I have no choice except to move forward and say that you cannot accept ... perjury in your highest officials."
Widely considered a mastermind of the Republican revolution that swept Congress in the 1994 elections, Gingrich remains wildly popular among many conservatives. He has repeatedly placed near the top of Republican presidential polls recently, even though he has not formed a campaign.
Gingrich has said he is waiting to see how the Republican field shapes up before deciding in the fall whether to run.
Reports of extramarital affairs have dogged him for years as a result of two messy divorces, but he has refused to discuss them publicly.
Gingrich, who frequently campaigned on family values issues, divorced his second wife, Marianne, in 2000 after his attorneys acknowledged Gingrich's relationship with his current wife, Callista Bisek, a former congressional aide more than 20 years younger than he is.
His first marriage, to his former high school geometry teacher, Jackie Battley, ended in divorce in 1981. Although Gingrich has said he doesn't remember it, Battley has said Gingrich discussed divorce terms with her while she was recuperating in the hospital from cancer surgery.
Gingrich married Marianne months after the divorce.
"There were times when I was praying and when I felt I was doing things that were wrong. But I was still doing them," he said in the interview. "I look back on those as periods of weakness and periods that I'm ... not proud of."
Gingrich's congressional career ended in 1998 when he abruptly resigned from Congress after poor showings from Republicans in elections and after being reprimanded by the House ethics panel over charges that he used tax-exempt funding to advance his political goals.
Sorry, it's been years ago. And no, I can't cite the source, BUT I know I heard it...and it seemed credible.
That his personal life was screwed up made him a poser and a hypocrite. What he was good at was pushing a political agenda and getting some stuff done for a few years. Then he folded.
Romney has far more money and is indisputably better-looking than any of the other three. He could be on trophy wife number five by now. He has been married for almost 35 years to his high school sweetheart. They have five highly accomplished and obedient sons. She is suffering from MS and his faithfulness to her and their children has never wavered.
But evangelicals reject Romney out of hand because he is a Mormon.
"Gingrich's congressional career ended in 1998 when he abruptly resigned from Congress after poor showings from Republicans in elections and after being reprimanded by the House ethics panel over charges that he used tax-exempt funding to advance his political goals."
This bothers me, quite apart from his marital games. Along with his cave-in to Clinton on the government shutdown, it suggests that he talks a good game, but quits in the crises.
Don't put Evangelicals down or you WILL cause a backlash, friend. You don't know squat.
"Do as I say. Not as I do."
Oprah is probably glad to do the thinking for folks who can't think for themselves.
I met McCain and his wife on election night. He's too old to be president and she's too hot to be with him. If he had any sense he'd chill out in Arizona in a hot tub with her.
Hardly the stuff to sink a good candidate. I'd hate to run as they would have all sorts of relationships to sort out. No man is perfect. We mature as we age. Newt is the best conservative candidate out there, however I will vote for whoever the Republican candidate is. There is no way a Democrat should be allowed in the White House, in these troubling times.
Neutered Newt was, is and always will be an adulterous insensitive creep. He no better than clintoon, a disgusting sexual predator.
Agree - chalk that as a vici.
I don't reject OR accept Romney for religious reasons - my mind (and vote) are still open. However, I do reject Newt for moral/ethical reasons What he did to his wife was brutal and unforgiveable.
So Newt is embaressed by his shortcomings and decided to leave the arena.
Rudy has no shame and is has a thick skin.
I dont think either could survive the primarys
"Gingrich had affair during Clinton probe"
But did he lie about it under oath?
I sure will. I have NO use for ANYONE who commits adultery. Marriage is one of the most sacred vows anyone can ever make, and if a person can't even be trusted to uphold that, as far as I'm concerned I will never trust them for anything. As a result, I will NEVER vote for Newt.
Well I am sure that at the very least, during his affair Newt used his own equipment and not a Cigar to have sex with his partner.
"Yeah, and as a faithful husband of 22 years, I don't understand why it's so darned difficult for so many men to keep their pants on."
Selfishness and Me Me Me are the answers in my opinion.
All guys are attracted to beautiful women, it's hardcoded into us as guys. Guys with character stay true to the ones they marry.
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