Newt Gingrich goes nuclear: May enter race to foil 'pygmies'

The Examiner ^ | July 23, 2007 | Bill Sammon

[no dems]

Dismissing the GOP presidential field as a "pathetic" bunch of "pygmies," Newt Gingrich hinted Monday he might step in to beat Democrats Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama.

"If, in mid-October, it's quite clear that one or more of the current candidates is strong enough to be a serious alternative to a Clinton-Obama ticket, you don't need me to run," the former House Speaker said at a breakfast sponsored by the American Spectator. "If it becomes patently obvious, as the morning paper points out, that the Democrats have raised a hundred million more than the Republicans, and at some point people decide we are going to get Hillary unless there's a radical change, then there's space for a candidate," he added. "So you'll know by mid-October one of those two futures is real."

Asked by the Examiner if he was prepared to commit to a run, Gingrich said, "I'm perfectly happy to do what I do," he said. "Whether that leads to the presidency is the country's problem, not mine."

Gingrich mocked Republican presidential candidates for subjecting themselves to a May debate hosted by Chris Matthews of MSNBC's "Hardball."

People who read this also read: Newt Gingrich goes nuclear: May enter race to foil 'pygmies' ‘Soda bottle’ bombs explode at KFC Baltimore cop shoots, kills soldier Tiny Dog Saves Baby From Rattlesnake Astronaut Tosses Junk From Space Station "You're watching an utterly irrelevant, shallow television celebrity dominate everybody who claimed they want to lead the most powerful nation in the world," he said.

Gingrich ridiculed "the idea of 10 or 11 people standing passively at microphones," and said he refused to "shrink to the level of 40-second answers, standing like a trained seal, waiting for someone to throw me a fish."

He added: "These are not debates, these are auditions. By definition, the psychology of an audition reduces the person auditioning and raises the status, for example, of Chris Matthews."

Pressed by The Examiner about whether his political baggage renders him unelectable, Gingrich compared himself to a famous French statesman. "This is like going to De Gaulle when he was at Colombey-les-Deux-Eglises during the Fourth Republic and saying, 'Don't you want to rush in and join the pygmies?'" he said.

"I have no interest in the current political process. I have no interest in trying to figure out how I can go out and raise money under John McCain's insane censorship rules so I can show up to do seven minutes and twenty seconds at some debate." Still, he said he might enter the race before the deadlines to "start filing petitions.

[Plains Drifter]

Well Mr. JackHawk, the ticket is not Newt versus Hillary at this time. It looks like it’s going to be Fred versus Hillary so get used to it. People like you push this tired old political crap. You’ve got to vote Republican because you have no other choice other than to vote for the other guy. You have no principles. I’ll sit it out before I vote for a candidate I don’t believe in. You must subscribe to the new Republican campaign slogan “vote for my candidate, they don’t suck as bad as the other guy”. I don’t like your attitude.

[Earthdweller]

"Newt and Fred T - poop or get off the pot."

LOL.