Like so much that happened more than a year or two ago people have completely forgotten what the Wright book deal was and just how crooked and illegal it was. Nothing Newt did came even close to that level of pure political corruption that was the Wright book deal or the House post office scandal.
You are certainly correct though, he did indeed fall prey to the siren song of trying to be liked by everyone. Never, ever works. Period. And Rush warned them about that when he addressed the incoming class of the House after the revolution.
Don't get me wrong. I am not suggesting Newt should have any part of what needs to be done now if we are to snatch victory from the jaws of Obama-defeat. He is a brilliant man with some very sharp political instincts, but his time has come and gone. Behind the scenes he could be very helpful, but we need new faces if we hope to save our country at this point.
In fact, I'm not sure the GOP can even rise to the occasion. It might well be time for a completely new organization, one that puts out in plain and simple language what it believes, what it will do if elected and who will do it. I would start by dismissing anyone who was part of the last election cycle and hoped to lead the GOP ticket. In my mind Palin is about the only bright spot in the entire election cycle. Everything else should be tossed in the dust bin of politics, or saved for study by future generations of just how far a party can fall when they stop dancing with the one what brought them to the dance.
All one has to do for the purposes of this discussion is to recall how Rush handled this. It started with vigorous defense of Newt and evolved to sometimes bewilderment. You never heard Rush say anything supportive of the Commodities Scam Queen (not counting the Operation Chaos stuff) but if you were listening you did hear Newt say nice things about her, and I'm not talking about any time when he might have been under attack. I'm thinking of times after he fell off the radar screen. I don't know about you but I have NEVER had anything positive to say about the CSQ.
Of course, I have had positive things to say about Newt. I used to only have positive things to say about him. But now things have changed, and I don't think that I am one of them.
ML/NJ