The Nation: "Energy's on the Anti-Iraq Side"

[deadparrot]

It is not often that this column pays tribute to former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. But the man who in 1994 played a pivotal role in putting the Republican Party in control of both houses of Congress for the first time in 40 years -- and in developing the strategies that have kept the GOP in control -- has a sharp political mind. And he used it this week to analyze the unexpectedly strong showing of Democrat Paul Hackett in a special election to fill the southern Ohio U.S. House seat vacated by U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman (news, bio, voting record).

Hackett won 48.3 percent of the vote in a district where no Democrat had ever gotten more than 28 percent against Portman. In the most Republican House district in the state of Ohio, the Democrat, a Marine veteran of the Iraq war, lost by barely 3,000 votes. And he did that after a campaign in which he said the U.S. should not have invaded the Iraq in the first place and condemned the administration's approach to the occupation. Unlike more cautious Democrats, Hackett was unapologetic about calling President Bush an "SOB" whose actions endangered Americans, and about referring to members of the administration as "chickenhawks."

Of course,most Republicans and their media allies were quick to dismiss the significance of Hackett's showing -- despite the fact that it was the best finish for a Democrat in the district since the Watergate election of 1974. The rules of spin these days are such that reality is rarely allowed to intrude on discussions of politics.

But Gingrich decided to ditch the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee's talking points and recognize the significance of Hackett's near win. Speaking to the Washington Post on the day after the Ohio vote, the former Speaker of the House said, "It should serve as a wake-up call to Republicans. Clearly, there's a pretty strong signal for Republicans thinking about 2006 that they need to do some very serious planning and not just assume that everything is going to be automatically okay."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/thenation/110532

[BeyondGeography]

1. Say what you want about Newt

But he is intellectually curious enough to spot a problem when there is one.

Key statement: <Will Democrats be smart enough to recognize that Gingrich is right when he speaks about the energy being on the anti-Iraq side?>

[Miss Chybil]

2. Yes, being an ass does not necessarily make one stupid. Newt ain't stupid.

[ironman202]

4. what can you say about a guy that serves divorce papers

on his wife while she's lying in a hospital bed with cancer and Chemo and runs off with another woman, marries her, impeaches Clinton for gett a blowjob from a minion, leaves the second wife because he's been getting a blowjob from a minion, marries the minion and then divorces the minion. I gotta say, I'm amazed the guy can find ANY woman willing blow him. Who the hell wants to blow Newt?

[Miss Chybil]

11. Sickening thought, isn't it? nt

[wli]

3. Gingrich is in the AEI and a suspected member of the COG "shadow govt."

i.e. he's neck deep in the axis of unmitigated fascist evil.

[AlCzervik]

5. Ding Ding Ding---we have a winner! spot on.

[movonne]

6. Is he trying to come to center...didn't I hear he was going to run

for president....you think???

[ironman202]

7. oh -please let him run...

[MGKrebs]

8. The difference between Newt and the other 'Pubs

is that he knows when to lie and when to tell the truth. Most of the others only ever lie.

Regardless of what Newt is saying though, we can be sure that it is designed to improve the prospects of the 'Pub party. He has no other purpose.

PS- I got a call from GOPAC today. HeeHee! Apparently they have something called the Permanent Majority Project, and they think because I am a business owner that surely I would contribute. I tried to get them to send me a fax or something in the mail. Nope. Have to go to the website or do it over the phone.

[wli]

10. google "Permanent Majority Project" (quotes included) NOW!!

Use the cached versions, most are gone now.

It's a trick to evade campaign finance laws.

[leftchick]

9. take note Democrats running for in 2006

anti-war is where it's at. Note this also you LOSER Sen. Nelson from FL, going on CNN and repeating what the repukes say reagrding Iraq will not get you re-elected. :grr: