Sunday, March 11, 2007
Oh, the Joys of Cognitive Dissonance!
Hey, Newt Gingrich had extramarital relations! No, not those. And no, not those. Yeah... those ones.
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.
But don't worry, says Newt. He was putting himself at intense personal risk to strike a blow for hypocrisy-- I mean, righteousness.
"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."
I can understand Newt's position, of course, especially after I've been beating the Libby drum for the past week. Still. You'd think you would learn that someone who repeatedly does things that undermine the sanctity of the family would not be the person to stand up and speak for "family values."
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.
But don't worry, says Newt. He was putting himself at intense personal risk to strike a blow for hypocrisy-- I mean, righteousness.
"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."
I can understand Newt's position, of course, especially after I've been beating the Libby drum for the past week. Still. You'd think you would learn that someone who repeatedly does things that undermine the sanctity of the family would not be the person to stand up and speak for "family values."
