The Gang That Couldn’t Bomb Straight

Robert Scheer | TruthDig | February 23, 2012

Here we go again. With the economy showing faint signs of life and their positions on the social issues alienating most moderates, the leading Republican candidates, with the exception of Ron Paul, have returned to the elixir of warmongering to once again sway the gullible masses. The race to the bottom has been set by Newt Gingrich, the most desperate of the lot, who on Tuesday charged that “The president wants to unilaterally weaken the United States,” because his administration has dared question the wisdom of Israel attacking Iran and proposes a slight reduction in the bloated defense budget. 

Let the good times roll with a beefed-up military budget justified by plans to invade yet another Muslim country. As Paul warned during the South Carolina primary debate as his presidential rivals threatened war with Iran: “I’m afraid what’s going on right now is similar to the war propaganda that went on against Iraq.” Indeed, the shouting match over which of the other GOP candidates most wants a war with Iran is in sync with the last Republican president’s 2003 invasion.

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With Economy Improving, Obama Would Beat Romney: Poll

WASHINGTON | Mon Feb 6, 2012 2:32pm EST

(Reuters) – President Barack Obama – bolstered by a stronger economic outlook and recent job growth – would win in a match-up against the two leading Republican presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich, a poll on Monday showed.

A Washington Post-ABC News survey of 1,000 adults found that, for the first time, Obama’s prospects have brightened against his potential rivals as his overall job approval rating climbed on his handling of the slowly recovering economy.

If the election were held now, Obama would win 51 percent of the vote compared to 45 percent for Romney, the former Massachusetts governor and current Republican frontrunner, according to the poll. He would win with 54 percent compared to 43 percent for Gingrich, the former speaker of the House of Representatives who has vowed to continuing seeking his party’s nomination.

The poll, conducted by telephone from February 1 through February 4, showed Obama won higher marks than Romney when it comes to protecting the middle class and taxes. Those polled also said they trusted Obama more to handle international affairs and terrorism.

But Obama and Romney tied when it came to creating jobs and more of those surveyed said they trusted Romney to handle the economy and the federal budget deficit.

In a statement, the Romney campaign’s polling strategist, Neil Newhouse, said the survey was flawed and “introduced specific negative information about Governor Romney immediately prior to asking the ballot match-up against President Obama.”

The president’s job approval rating rose to 50 percent, according to the survey, which has a sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

When asked if Obama deserved a second term as president, 49 percent said yes and 49 percent said no.

In an NBC interview Sunday, Obama said he deserved another term when Americans vote in November. A jobs report on Friday showed the U.S. economy created jobs at the fastest pace in nine months in January. The unemployment rate unexpectedly dropped to 8.3 percent, its lowest level in three years.

(Reporting By Susan Heavey; Editing by Bill Trott)

SOURCE

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Sandra Day O’Connor: Gingrich and Romney

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Mitt Romney Wins: Florida Primary Results 2012

Mitt Romney Wins: Florida Primary Results 2012

Huff Post- Posted: 1/31/12 08:00 PM ET  |  Updated: 1/31/12 08:08 PM ET

Mitt Romney was projected the winner of Tuesday’s presidential primary election in Florida by the Associated Press.

The former Massachusetts governor was running ahead in the polls going into the contest.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich was projected to finish in second place. Former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum was projected to finish in third with U.S. Rep. Ron Paul in fourth.

Ahead of Tuesday, Gingrich said he intended to continue his campaign for the White House regardless of the outcome of the contest.

This is a developing story… More information to come…

Check out the live blog below for the latest developments out of Florida.

MORE HERE

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Newt Gingrich, On Eve Of Likely Florida Loss, Unleashes Wild Attacks On Mitt Romney

Newt Gingrich, On Eve Of Likely Florida Loss, Unleashes Wild Attacks On Mitt Romney

Huff Post- Posted: 1/31/12 12:00 AM ET  |  Updated: 1/31/12 09:13 AM ET

TAMPA, Fla. — Meet Newt Gingrich, the human Roman Candle.

Gingrich and Mitt Romney on Monday staggered to the end of a brutal week of campaigning in Florida, one in which they took increasingly nasty and personal shots at one another. But the day marked a new level of angry and relentless attacks on Romney by Gingrich, the former House speaker from Georgia.

From morning until the last of five events at the end of the day, Gingrich branded Romney a liar and cheat, accusing him of suppressing religious liberty and trying to “buy the election.”

The strain of the nastiness showed on both men. Romney’s voice was hoarse as he spoke at his last of three events, in front of a few thousand people at The Villages, a massive retirement community 90 minutes northeast of Tampa. But in a sign of growing confidence and looseness as a candidate, Romney led the crowd in singing “America the Beautiful,” a tune he has mentioned on the campaign trail all month without breaking into song.

Romney didn’t mention Gingrich by name at his last event, after mocking and dismissing him earlier in the day.

Gingrich, on the other hand, launched himself into the Romney juggernaut with a level of fury and desperation certain to produce uneasiness in the GOP for its poisonous tone. Gingrich has vowed to carry his candidacy all the way to the GOP convention, but his actions Monday bore a wildness that could call his campaign’s longevity into doubt.

Gingrich continued to harp on a charge that Romney, during his time as Massachusetts governor, vetoed funds to expand the provision of kosher food for Bay State retirees. Gingrich said Romney has a “lack of concern for religious liberty.”

“Romney cut off kosher food to elderly Jews on Medicare,” Gingrich said, stretching the truth. And Gingrich also hit Romney for a 2005 decision as governor to require Roman Catholic hospitals to provide emergency contraception, which many Catholics believe is a form of abortion, to rape victims.

“You want a war on the Catholic church by Obama? Guess what: Romney refused to allow Catholic hospitals to have conscience in their dealing with certain circumstances,” Gingrich said.

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Gingrich Wants A Government That Respects ‘Our Religion’ Not ‘Every Other Religion’

Think Progress-  By Alex Seitz-Wald  on Jan 30, 2012 at 6:20 pm

As TP’s Igor Volsky pointed out today, Newt Gingrich has been accusing President Obama of perpetrating a “war on religion,” saying the president has made it more difficult for people of faith to practice their beliefs. But at a campaign stop in Florida this afternoon, Gingrich made that not all religions are created equally:

GINGRICH: Now, I think we need to have a government that respects our religions. I’m a little bit tired about respecting every religion on the planet. I’d like them to respect our religion.

Watch it:

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Christmas Is No Time to Talk About War and Peace

Christmas Is No Time to Talk About War and Peace

truthout Sunday 25 December 2011

by: ,

When I heard the president speak to returning troops last week, my mind flashed back to an article I once wrote for our local newspaper. Each week, a different member of the local clergy would write a column, and I had been asked to write the piece for Christmas.

That year, all I could hear was the drumbeat leading toward a war with Iraq. I racked my brain trying to think of a way to put faces on the people we were about to bomb. Looking at a nativity scene, I thought, “The people we are about to kill look like that.” Maybe a reframed Christmas story could help Americans stop hating Saddam long enough to care about the people who will pay the real cost of this invasion. I submitted the following article, covering the Christmas story the way the US press was covering the buildup to the Iraq war. Looking back, I should have known what was about to happen.

Christmas Cancelled as a Security Measure

Ellis Island – The three wise men were arrested today attempting to enter the country. The Iraqi nationals were carrying massive amounts of flammable substances known as “frankincense” and “myrrh.” While not explosives themselves, experts revealed that these two substances could be used as a fuse to detonate a larger bomb. The three alleged terrorists were also carrying gold, presumably to finance the rest of their mission.

Also implicated in the plot were two Palestinians named Joseph and Mary. An anonymous source close to the family overheard Mary bragging that her son would “bring down the mighty from their thrones and lift up the lowly.” In what appears to be a call to anarchy, the couple claims their son will someday “help prisoners escape captivity.”

“These people match our terrorist profile perfectly,” an official source reported.

All of the suspects claimed they heard angels singing of a new era of hope for the afflicted and poor. As one Wall Street official put it, “These one-world wackos are talking about overturning the entire economic and political hierarchy that holds the civilized world together. I don’t care what some angel sang; God wants the status quo – by definition.”

Read more at truthout

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Colbert Report Nails Newt Gingrich, aka The Grinch

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

PLEASE VIEW ON YOUTUBE

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Gingrich Tweets His 2012 Bid (VIDEO)

Surprise, Surprise: Gingrich Tweets His 2012 Bid

Washington Wire
May 11, 2011, 4:34 PM ET

With this tweet on his Twitter account, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich made it official that he’s running  in the GOP presidential primary:  “Today I am announcing my candidacy for President of the United States. You can watch my announcement here. http://bit.ly/kEbh7d”

The link  wasn’t working when we tried it, so here’s the video:

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Gingrich Is a Whale of a Candidate If You’re Into Recycling Garbage

Gingrich Is a Whale of a Candidate If You’re Into Recycling Garbage

Submitted by BuzzFlash on Tue, 03/01/2011 – 9:02pm.

While Newt Gingrich is going around the country courting conservative Christians and complaining that America is “too secular a society,” its “religious belief … [is being] challenged by a cultural elite,” and “God is [being] driven out of public life,” his 527, American Solutions for Winning the Future, became the No. 1 fundraising committee during the 2010 election cycle.

BILL BERKOWITZ FOR BUZZFLASH AT TRUTHOUT

Anyone who has even remotely followed the career of Newt Gingrich knows that you can definitely count on a few things from him: He has an opinion on just about everything; he thinks he’s the smartest guy in the room; he’s prone to making bone-headed statements and then tries to walk them back; his Gingrich enterprises are running 24/7, churning out books, videos, movies, op-ed pieces, websites, tweets, and You Tube videos; he’s always raising lots and lots of money for his work; and, the capper, he wants to be your president.

Another thing you can be fairly certain about Gingrich is that these days he will go practically anywhere at any time in order to profess his religious beliefs. As the New York Times rather kindly pointed out recently, Gingrich’s “conversion to Catholicism two years ago is part of an evolution that has given him a deeper appreciation for the role of faith in public life.” This “evolution” on Gingrich’s part is likely due at least in part to the fact that over the years serious questions have been raised about the former Speaker of the House’s moral character, especially by leaders on the Religious Right.

Questions about his affairs, three marriages and the hypocrisy he displayed during the Clinton impeachment period have plagued him for years. Leaders on the Religious Right have either downright distrusted him, or at best, been ambivalent about him. Although the Religious Right is not as domineering a force within the GOP as it once was, getting its stamp of approval is a necessary step if a candidate is to win the Party’s nomination.

MORE HERE

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