On The Other Hand

I was going to write about the possibility of a Gingrich/Palin ticket in 2012.

That impulse has been overridden by the news of Newt Gingrich's opening remarks at last night's GOP debate in South Carolina.

CNN's John King asked about reports of Gingrich's former wife's contention that Gingrich wanted to have an open marriage. Apparently Newt had been having an affair and an open marriage seemed, to him, to be a viable solution. Gingrich claims that the story is false. Stay tuned...

On the one hand what people do in private should be their business, not ours. But...on the other...it seems to be appropriate for the "People" to know about what a candidate for the presidency is made of.

When someone declares for that high office their private lives become very public and very fast. It is our business (or should be...) to know what they think about almost everything and whether their private decisions are consistent with their public ones.

One could argue that what someone does in private has no bearing on how they would govern. That, in essence, is Mitt Romney's argument about his health care decisions in Massachusetts. He's saying that what was good for The Bay State may not be good for the country, as a whole.

Same goes for his wealth and the manner in which he amassed it. What he did as a private businessman is not necessarily what he would do as the chief executive of these United States.

Newt Gingrich wants us to believe that, in a moment of personal pain, he made immoral decisions. He wants us to believe that he would make moral ones as president.

Further, he blames the media for raking him over the coals. He contends that it is "appalling" that a presidential debate should contain questions about his marriage and infidelities.

Well, Congressman...too damned bad!

You did what you did and now you must answer the questions about it. You're right when you invoke all of humanity in your defense. Yes, sir, we have all had moments in which we have made the wrong choices.

But the difference, sir, is that most of us are NOT running for president.

Newt Gingrich wants us to believe that his immoral and unethical behavior, however human and understandable, is not a part of who he would be as president.

It is a totally appropriate question as to how his morals affect his decisions. It goes to the heart of the matter. Can he be trusted?

Never mind his politics. We can agree or disagree about that all day long.

Never mind the bellicosity of his personality. That may, or may not, be important in the long run.

But is he a man of "high ideals", as Mr. Potter referred to George Bailey's father.

Newt Gingrich is fond of telling us what to do and how to do it. He thinks he has all of the answers.

"Do what I say, not as I do..."

I don't think so Congressman.

I just don't think so...