Newt Wants Adultery Forgiven and Forgotten

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. — Nobody does self-righteousness like Newt Gingrich. Nobody.

On stage here Thursday night at the 17th Republican debate, Gingrich was asked about the accusations his second wife had just made about him on ABC News and to The Washington Post.

Gingrich's face took on the appearance of a cartoon character whose face blows up like a beach ball until steam comes out of his ears.

"I think the destructive, vicious, negative nature of much of the news media makes it harder to govern this country, harder to attract decent people to run for public office, and I am appalled that you would begin a presidential debate on a topic like that!" Gingrich said to uproarious applause by the audience.

"Let me finish," Gingrich continued. "Every person in here knows personal pain. To take an ex-wife and make it two days before the primary a significant question for a presidential campaign is as close to despicable as anything I can imagine!"

Really? That is as close to despicable as anything Newt can imagine?

Here is something that I consider closer to despicable: "Gingrich divorced his first wife, Jackie, as she was being treated for cancer," ABC News reported, and he moved to divorce his second wife, Marianne, "just months after she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis."

But that is not despicable to Gingrich. To him, it is despicable that ABC put Marianne on the air saying that Gingrich had requested an "open marriage" so he could more easily pursue his multi-year affair with a congressional aide.

"I am frankly astounded that CNN would take trash like that and use it to open a presidential debate," Newt roared on.

Amid the wild applause for Gingrich, CNN moderator John King pointed that CNN had not reported the story, but ABC.

"John, John," Gingrich said amid hoots and yells and applause for him, "it was repeated by your network! You chose to start the debate with it!"

Gingrich pointed his finger toward King and stabbed the air with it. "Don't try to blame somebody else!" Gingrich said. "You and your staff chose to start this debate with it!"

Gingrich said the story was "false" but by that he meant the accusation that he had requested an open marriage.

Newt had an affair with his second wife while still married to his first wife and an affair with his third while still married to his second. It is true that he has married at least two of the women he has had affairs with, but that didn't make his behavior any less painful to the wronged parties.

That is not what Newt Gingrich wanted to talk about on the debate stage, however, just two days before South Carolina's primary.

"I am tired of the elite media protecting Barack Obama by attacking Republicans!" Gingrich thundered, beaming toward the crowd.

Huh? How did we get from Gingrich's adultery to the elite media protecting Barack Obama? Easy. On Planet Gingrich, everything is caused by the elite media protecting Barack Obama.

Gingrich has a stock reply to questions about his affairs. "I have made mistakes in my life," he says with equal parts humility and defiance. "I have had to seek forgiveness and reconciliation with God."

Fair enough. But does that mean voters have to give Gingrich a pass because he has sought God's forgiveness?

Ramesh Ponnuru, a senior editor of the conservative magazine National Review, wrote an article on Dec. 22 last year titled, "The Redemption of Newt Gingrich: Spiritual reconciliation does not mean political exoneration."

Ponnuru argued that Gingrich's repentance — let us assume it is sincere — removes obstacles to Gingrich's entrance to heaven, not to the White House.

"A candidate's conversion and repentance of past sins," Ponnuru wrote, "cannot erase voter concerns that arise from those sins."

But what about the three other candidates on stage with Gingrich Thursday night? King asked each of them whether they thought Gingrich's past behavior was an "issue."

Mitt Romney gave Gingrich a pass. "John, let's get on to the real issues is all I've got to say," Romney said.

Rick Santorum was a little less forgiving. "I am a Christian, too," he said. "And I thank God for forgiveness. But, you know, these are issues of our lives and what we did in our lives. They are issues of character for people to consider."

But it was left to Ron Paul to make the best response. "I think too often all of us are on the receiving ends of attacks from the media," Paul said. "And I'm very proud that my wife of 54 years is with me tonight."

There was a pause — and then the hall rocked with laughter.

To find out more about Roger Simon, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.

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