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Posted on 01/03/2012 10:42:50 AM PST by nickcarraway
Incensed by the negative ads that have spoiled his campaign, Newt Gingrich recently complained he’d been “Romneyboated,” an allusion to the group Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, whose ads helped derail Sen. John Kerry’s presidential campaign in 2004.
John O’Neill, the swift-boat captain who led the anti-Kerry movement, is none too pleased with the comparison. “To me, it reflects Gingrich’s very cynical hypocrisy, which he shares with Kerry,” O’Neill tells National Review Online. That hypocrisy “is the reason why he can appear with [Nancy] Pelosi in climate-change ads and why he can take money from Freddie Mac: If you’re part of the political class, [you believe] you’re free from any public scrutiny of what you’ve done.”
O’Neill has been disappointed with Gingrich “ever since the debacle in the late 1990s, when he came close to squandering a Republican majority in the House and engaged personally in conduct that really hurt the Republican party.” The ex-speaker’s recent behavior hasn’t been much better. “I was shocked by his labeling [Paul] Ryan’s plan ‘right-wing social engineering,’” O’Neill says. “It’s deeply cynical conduct and hypocrisy. He has much more in common with Kerry than with any of the other Republican candidates — maybe not in ideology, but in other things that count.”
Indeed, O’Neill sees many similarities between the old pols. “Kerry is an extremely cynical guy whose policies change like a kaleidoscope, and Newt Gingrich is just the same. He’s a constantly changing kaleidoscope with one policy idea after another.” To Republicans, O’Neill advises, “You select a president based on the entire person, because the truth is, the policy issues are very likely to be different in a year than they seem to be right now.”
O’Neill concludes, “I would be really proud to win or lose with any of the other Republican candidates. But I would be ashamed if Gingrich were the candidate.”
I think these Vietnam veterans have lost their effing minds when they go after Gingrich instead of a straight up Vietnam draft dodger like Mitt Romney. What do you think of that?
Gingrich didn’t say he was swiftboated, he said he was Romney-boated. It was literally nothing more than a joke. To read grand implications into it is total projection on anyone else’s part. I guess people didn’t agree with Herman Cain when he said we should have a sense of humor about ourselves and politics sometimes. Sad.
Are you talking about the Swiftboaters?
Conservatives used to be for the truth. Sad that Gingrich is getting you to renounce your conservatism.
The Swiftboat Vets prevented Kerry from getting elected in 2004, now you want to throw them under the bus? Wish you could have seen a Kerry presidency?
At the end of the day, it shows Gingrich is comfortable with the Kerry media mindet. You want someone who thinks like that. Gingrich, Romney, and their “leftwing social engineer” buddies should leave the GOP.
Anyone who compares Newt Gingrich to John Kerry is showing his own ignorance.
Well, Gingrich compared himself to Kerry. He's the one who thinks he's "unfairly" targeted like Kerry.
Giuliani did this same thing in 2008, and if I remember, was slammed on FR for doing so. Gingrich is actually a very similar candidate to Giuliani.
Lard ass Gingrich is four times the size of John O'Neill but half the man.
Marxist moonbats have attacked and insulted O'Neill since Kerry declared himself a war hero and most other Vietnam Vets war criminals.You have clearly stated your position.
Gingrich was in college and got student deferments. He has said time and again that he regrets this now. Said he wishes he had served. Romney was knocking on doors, in a polyester suit, pissing people off when he should have been serving his country. This deferment as a “minister” of his faith went on for three long years, long enough for the draft to be practically over when he made himself available. He has never said he regreted not serving in the military. He has three grown sons. Not a one of them have served a day in uniform. Romney has never said he regreted no serving in the military. Military service is high on Morman’s list of priorities. I can count the Mormans on one finger that I knew when I was in the military. A CO I had in Germany. Of course he didn’t drink or swear, didn’t even drink coffee, and he was an azz. Graduate of BYU, the works. We loved it when he would go on leave because the acting CO was a good ole Southern Baptist from Oklahoma, who got drunk with the enlisted folk and was a chain smoker.
Hey Nick, hope you don’t mind, but for the record, I’ll re-post what I said to you yesterday:
Just consider the incredible agility of the Gingrich mind. The MSM tried to sucker him- by asking “were you Swift boated?”. They assumed a yes- and thus, Newt would have wittingly/unwittingly affirmed the criticism of the Veterans.
But instead; snap, instantaneously, Newt draws the distinction and turns it on the media - “no, I was Romney boated.”
The Newt distinction - “swift boating” is legitimately telling the truth, whereas “Romney-boating” is a smear campaign.
Newt is simply brilliant on his feet— no one else comes close. .
-:)
Tell us about Gingrich’s military service.
wait, what ??? i thought paul crewe greengrinch was the experienced, master politician, who knows all the tricks, and will quickly make mincemeat out of bambam with his speaking skills...???
“So you agree with Gingrich, Kerry, and the media, that the Swiftboat verterans smeared Kerry in 2004?”
Did I not make myself clear. When did I (or Newt for that fact) smear the veterans? I did not say (or even imply) that.
AGAIN ...”The definition is (from wikipedia) “”the term “swiftboating” or “Swift Boating” is now commonly used to refer to what the New York Times describes as “the nastiest of campaign smears””...
It is what by definition of the term swift boating means now (my opinion has nothing to do with it or Newts)!
Lots of terms have come about from other incidents and do not mean the first incident!
“So you agree with Gingrich, Kerry, and the media, that the Swiftboat verterans smeared Kerry in 2004?”
Oh and PS, if you are going to use the word “Veterans”...please learn how to spell it.
They deserve at least that much respect!
I agree that the media set up a poop trap, though, and are now acting as if it worked.
Meant to say military servive IS NOT HIGH on a Morman’s priorities. And he has FIVE sons. Not a one of them have served in uniform, but you can bet your bottom dollar they all went overseas for at least two years and went around trying to brainwash people into joining Joe Smith’s cult.
Really. That was a stupid thing to say. I imagine he’ll come up with more.
It would have been nice to see Gingrich challenge the premise of the reporter’s “Swiftboating” gotcha question, but I see little reason to get bent out of shape over what was essentially a throwaway line. And while John O’Neill makes some legitimate points, it’s worth keeping in mind that he isn’t a conservative; hence his comfort with Romney as the GOP nominee.
A final note: if NR gets any deeper in the tank for Romney, they’ll have to rename the magazine.
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