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If skill on the debate stage were the No. 1 qualification for president, Newt Gingrich would be measuring the drapes in the Oval Office right about now. *snip*Gingrich won two standing ovations from the North Charleston Coliseum crowd during the exchange.*snip* The Romney campaign has gone from looking like a juggernaut of inevitability to an enterprise with weaknesses – and perhaps not ready to do battle against President Obama. After struggling in Monday night’s debate over the issue of his tax returns, the wealthy Romney again looked defensive Thursday night. When asked if he would follow his father’s example and...

John King started the night with a question about Newt’s ex-wife’s interview in which she alleged Newt sought an “open marriage.” Newt answered the question eventually with a denial, but used the oppoturnity to give King a smackdown which will be remembered for a long time. See Link

In an interview with Sean Hannity on his radio program today, Sarah Palin made no bones about what she thinks of ABC’s decision to air an exclusive interview with Newt Gingrich’s ex-wife in advance of the South Carolina primary: “The liberal media,” she added, “and some of that GOP holier-than-thou machine overplayed their hand this time.”Palin said that Gingrich, who she identified this week as the candidate she would vote for in the South Carolina primary if eligible, would ultimately benefit from the media attack.“I call them ‘dumb arses,’” she said. “They think by trotting out this old Gingrich divorce...

As I watch the media circus surrounding Marianne Gingrich's interview regarding her relationship with her ex-husband and GOP candidate, Newt Gingrich, I am once again reminded of the double standard afforded to the Democrats and Barack Obama in particular. Coming on the heels of the Herman Cain melee in which the press had a field day parading one accuser after another before video cameras, it is difficult not to repeat the question of why the Democrats get a free pass. Why are calls for Mitt Romney to release his tax return not met with calls for Barack Obama to release...

-snip- VAN SUSTEREN: -snip- But I'm curious, in all seriousness, is there any appropriate time in your mind that you be asked that question, you know, about your ex-wife? GINGRICH: Look... VAN SUSTEREN: She's going on television. She's making some accusation. Is it a fair question? And if so, when should it be asked of you? GINGRICH: Sure, look -- look, if voters ask it or if you get asked it in a normal press conference, you just answer it because you're running for president and you owe people a candid answer. You don't particularly want to get in fights...

Allies of embattled GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich are coming to his defense against his ex-wife's new and salacious charges, labeling Marianne as "unstable" and "unhinged." What's more is that they are slapping at ABC, which is set to run an interview Thursday with Marianne Gingrich in which she claims the former speaker wanted an open marriage so he could date his current wife, Callista. Gingrich's supporters claim the network is trying to get the Republican out of the race just as he's peaking in the polls. What was once a quiet campaign to distance Marianne from Gingrich has kicked...

Gingrich lashes out on 'ex' questionEditor's note: Tune in now for a replay of the CNN-Southern Republican Presidential Debate hosted by John King and follow it on Twitter at #CNNDebate. For rcoverage of the South Carolina primary, go to CNNPolitics.com or to the CNN apps or CNN mobile web site. Charleston, South Carolina (CNN) -- The four remaining GOP candidates played to their individual strengths on Thursday and tried to leave a lasting impression in a final, boisterous debate two days before South Carolina's pivotal primary.In a campaign cycle where debates have had direct consequences on the ebb and...

So, who should Newt pick for a Vice President? It's never to early to start lobbying for this. We don't want a "Quayle" pick after all we've been through getting Newt this far. Natural Born Citizen's need only apply.

Latest news from PPP: For the 1st time in our SC tracking Newt's favorability (53%) now higher than Mitt's (51%). Gingrich maintains 6 point lead:http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/main/2012/01/gingrich-maintains-6-point-lead.html

Thursday may have been one of the most eventful days of the Republican campaign so far, but the state of the race in South Carolina didn't change much. Newt Gingrich continues to lead Mitt Romney by 6 points, 35-29, with Ron Paul and Rick Santorum each tied for third at 15%. Revelations from the Marianne Gingrich interview haven't taken a toll on Newt's image yet. For the first time in our South Carolina tracking this month his favorability is better than Romney's, with 53% of voters holding a positive opinion of him compared to 51% for his chief competitor. Gingrich's...

The dominant liberal media are going all out to destroy Newt Gingrich — just as two polls show him overtaking Mitt Romney. It turns out, when a conservative Republican is the target, old news is big news. The latest polling gives Gingrich front-runner status in South Carolina just days before the state's crucial primary. In reaction, the major media have launched an all-out nuclear strike at Gingrich — the eve of the conservative South Carolina primary being the perfect time to release the most damaging dirt on a conservative candidate. Truth be told, Marianne Gingrich's ABC News interview, in which...

The second Mrs. Gingrich is creating a media firestorm on the eve of the South Carolina primary. But voters there seem inclined to take it out on the press. So you think the latest revelations about Newt Gingrich’s sloppy personal life—you know, the whole tawdry to-do about him asking his second wife Marianne for an “open marriage” so he could sleep with his then-mistress Callista at the same time he was delivering speeches around the country on family values—will sink the former House Speaker in the deeply Christian, devoutly conservative state of South Carolina? Think again. If most of Gingrich’s...

And then there were three and a half minds left campaigning for the Republican presidential nomination: Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul.Link to CNN livestream page.Hosted by CNN's John King at the North Charleston Coliseum.

Newt Gingrich's two adult daughters said that charges by Gingrich's second wife in an interview with ABC News that the GOP presidential contender asked for an "open marriage" are categorically false. Kathy Lubbers and Jackie Cushman, Gingrich's daughters by his first wife, told ABC News Chief Investigative Correspondent Brian Ross they had spoken with their father about Marianne Gingrich's allegation and that he had assured them he never asked for an open marriage. "We spoke with him about that, Brian, and he said it's simply not true," said Kathy Lubbers. "The truth is our father and Marianne had a difficult...

Something to whet your appetite for tonight’s Thunderdome debate. Could Newtmentum really have shot him to a six-point lead after he trailed Romney by double digits just a few days ago? Note that PPP’s data comes from a one-day snapshot, which means a smaller-than-usual sample, which in turn means a larger-than-usual margin of error of five points. Newt’s may very well be leading right now, but … by six?Even so, as I write this, InTrade gives him a 42.5 percent chance of winning on Saturday. After Perry’s endorsement, Palin’s quasi-endorsement, and Santorum’s fade, who wants to bet against him? This...

CHARLESTON, S.C. — The Daily Caller has learned that 100 tea party leaders from 25 states will announce Thursday that they are supporting Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich and will form a coalition called Tea Partiers With Newt. The news comes as signs appear that tea partiers here in South Carolina, which holds a primary Saturday, may be coalescing around Gingrich. “My sense is there is a growing coalition behind Newt Gingrich,” Joe Dugan, who leads the state’s chapter of Tea Party Patriots, told TheDC. A news release that will go out Thursday from the Gingrich campaign says the coalition...

(CNN) - Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum have flipped spots again in the tally of New Hampshire ballots. The New Hampshire Secretary of State's office released updated vote totals Thursday showing Gingrich jumping back into fourth and Santorum dropping to fifth. Numbers announced Wednesday had Santorum in fourth and Gingrich in fifth. Gingrich had 23,421 votes in the latest count, and Santorum had 23,405. Both stood at 9.4% of the vote total, meaning neither qualifies for any delegates from the Granite State. New Hampshire held its primary January 10. Mitt Romney won the primary with 39.3% of the vote, followed...

Newt is going to be on live WVOC, Columbia, SC for call in show. Host is Local Conservative Kevin Cohen and will take calls for a half hour (I think). It is FM 100.1 Beck and Rush sstation in Columbia, SC. I can pick it up in Charlotte, NC area. Streams live at link. FYI if anyone wants ot listen live on line or give a call.

Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich is calling for the United States to think about returning to the gold standard. Speaking at a foreign policy forum in South Carolina on Tuesday, Gingrich advocated a "commission on gold to look at the whole concept of how do we get back to hard money." Gingrich, a former Speaker of the House, has spoken in favor of a "hard money" policy in the past, but these were his strongest comments to support reinstating the gold standard. Gingrich would model his "gold commission" after one put in place after Ronald Reagan was elected, when the...

In endorsing Newt Gingrich's presidential bid, Rick Perry may have thrown some votes over to the former House Speaker in the upcoming South Carolina primary. But it's no guarantee that the Texas governor's financial backers will follow. While many of Perry's evangelical Christian donors in Texas could find Gingrich appealing, fundraisers from the establishment wing of the GOP are more likely to gravitate to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Indeed, one top Perry fundraiser -- Dirk Van Dongen, a lobbyist who co-chaired the governor's fundraising efforts in Washington -- signed on to the Romney camp Thursday morning. "I would guess...