"But it's not related to what happened."

[underpants]

:rofl::spank::bounce:
Gingrich, a potential 2008 presidential candidate, was asked by James Dobson of the conservative Christian group Focus on the Family, whether he was engaged in an extramarital affair when former President Clinton was involved with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

"The honest answer is 'yes,'" Gingrich said in an interview released on the group's Web site. "But it's not related to what happened."

http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSN0943442620070309

[WatchWhatISay]

1. Run, Newt, Run!

That would just add to the multi-ring circus that is the Republic Presidential Primary.

[catnhatnh]

2. It could'a been worse....

...at least it's nothing serious like unpaid parking tickets....

[Solo_in_MD]

3. Was his paramour working for him?

One of the things that few people here grasp is that one of the major issues associated with Bill & Monica is that she was a Federal executive branch employee, which obviates the "private behavior" canard. Its against every HR rule in the book for the boss to take up with a suborninate in the Executive branch. People make nervous jokes about being fired for even thinking that way about an intern. That such relationships are illegal are part of the mandatory POSH training required every year. I saw a lot of Feds start to question Clinton after the Monica thing came to light. One of them point out they would have rather had him taking up with ***** than any one in the executive branch, and they had a point.

This is not defending Gingrich in any way, but Clinton really screwed up with a lot of people over Monica. It wasn't her age, or even that he was stepping out, it was that she worked for him...

[Cerridwen]

4. I believe she was - and he requested a divorce of his wife who

was in her hospital bed fighting cancer at the time. Just thought I'd pile all that in there.

Now, I'll go find a link for ya. :D

Critics of Gingrich have long made much of the insensitivity he demonstrated in serving his first wife with divorce papers while she was in the hospital being treated for cancer. Nor did news of his efforts to cut life insurance coverage for the mother of his children always endear Gingrich to his family values supporters, but it was generally assumed that his marital errors were in the past.

--snip--

According to the Post: "There was a second jolt soon afterward. Newt Gingrich, now 56, informed his wife that he was having an affair with a congressional aide, a woman 23 years his junior."

--snip--

As House speaker, Gingrich had ultimate power over the woman's career, raising questions of sexual harassment. Was he engaging in this behavior while he led the condemnation of the president? And doesn't Gingrich's alleged behavior suggest the sort of "sexual addiction," "compulsive risk taking" and "moral relativism" that Clinton's critics have venomously denounced in him? from a 1999 article (AP's a bit behind the times on this)

[Solo_in_MD]

5. If she worked for him, he is no better than Clinton in that regards

though IIRC, Congress is exempt from many of those rules & regulations while the executive branch is not

[Cerridwen]

6. He's no better than Clinton in a lot of regards

;)

But, yeah, you're correct, Congress exempts itself from a lot of things which others do not. I'm not sure sexual harassment is one of those exceptions, though.

[EstimatedProphet]

7. Your OP has some textual errors in it. Here, let me fix it:

"Gingrich, a potential 2008 presidential candidate, jackass, and all-around piece of shit, was asked by James Dobson, wifebeater, puppyraper, and founder of the conservative Christian group Focus on the Family..."

there.

[underpants]

8. Stoooopid Reuters

:grr: