Newt Gingrich Trips Up Again With 'Daily Show' Correction

Newt Gingrich tried on Wednesday to brush off the glaring gaffe he made this week on "The Daily Show" when he insisted that the Bush administration was right to read shoe bomber Richard Reid his Miranda rights because he was an American citizen.

But in doing so, the former GOP House Speaker only dug his hole deeper.

In a post on his Twitter page, Gingrich explained that when he made the Reid comment to the "Daily Show"'s Jon Stewart his reference was actually to Jose Padilla. Reid, after all, is a British citizen -- Padilla is American.

But Gingrich wasn't done there. In a dig at the Obama White House, he added to the tail end of his tweet: "Treating terrorists like criminals wrong no matter who is Pres."

That's a standard GOP talking point, and yet when President Bush moved the Padilla case from a military setting to the criminal system, it was Gingrich who came to his defense despite conservative howls of protest, a Democratic source points out.

Appearing on Fox News in November 2005, the former speaker said the following when asked whether it was "a loss" for the Bush White House to have tried Padilla in civilian courts after holding him for three-and-a-half years as an enemy combatant:

"Well, I think if they believe they have enough evidence to convict him, going through the process of convicting him and holding him, I suspect, maybe for the rest of his life without parole would not be -- would hardly be seen as a loss," Gingrich said.

The former speaker went on to note that Bush was "wrestling with what are the real ground rules for dealing with people who are clearly outside of normal warfare" -- suggesting, implicitly, that a criminal setting was appropriate for Padilla because it was the most effective at the time. "[W]e don't have a good set of rules," he declared.

But that is a mirror of the Obama administration's current argument -- the one that Gingrich criticized on Twitter.

Comments

[YoMutt]

05:22 PM on 02/13/2010

The idea of not treating crimes under the rule of law is a sign of cowardice.

Military tribunals are archaic and outdated. So, even stating that someone should be tried in a military court is cowardly.

A great nation is great by leading by example and living up to its' own ideals.

[juana72]

04:56 PM on 02/13/2010

READ THIS IN THE HAND-----PLEASE STOP THE LYING AND LETS COME TOGETHER FOR THE BETTER OF THE COUNTRY. WE HAVE AN EXCELLENT LEADER SO LET'S JUST RESPECT HIM AND STOP LISTENING TO THE REJECTS OF THE COUNTRY. OK?

[juana72]

04:54 PM on 02/13/2010

LEOPARDS DON'T CHANGE THEIR SPOTS. A LIAR NOW, ALWAYS A LIAR. THESE ARE THE TYPE OF PEOPLE THAT THE REPUBLICANS AN TEA PARTY PEOPLE WANT TO SEE IN OFFICE.
THEY WOULD LIKE TO HAVE SOMEONE WHO CAN TELL THEM WHAT THEY WANT TO HEAR. SO SAD THAT WE HAVE SO MANY GEDs and these people who have to vote and help make decisions in our country.

[MadMarv]

12:50 PM on 02/13/2010

What is amazing about America is that you can lie and be hypocrites for years, and then with a few TV commercials convince the vast ignorati to vote for you based upon a few sound bites. This country has the government it deserves - wise up people!

[Mountaingrl]

12:38 PM on 02/13/2010

It's Republicans like Newt and Rush (and definitely Bush) who have driven me away from the Republican party. Over the years, I have taken note when they support a Republican move, yet criticize the same thing when a Democrat does it. They rely heavily on the Christian fringe (for whom facts are not an issue). That's one thing I respect about Jon Stewart. He's a liberal, but he calls Democrats and Republicans both on the carpet when they're wrong or inconsistent. Rush and Newt stumble around for contrived explanations.

[timbrurke]

01:14 PM on 02/13/2010

Being from the liberal end of the spectrum, I couldn't agree more with you Mountaingrl. It continues to amaze me how often politicians from both parties can get away with blatant hypocrisy.

[hippie4ever]

12:31 PM on 02/13/2010

This is the GOP's achilles heel -- keeping all their lies straight.

[iamhagrid]

10:38 AM on 02/13/2010

Newt doesn't let facts get in the way of his agenda.

[ChristianEcon.com]

11:18 AM on 02/13/2010

...while portraying him self as fact-based, mind you. HIs fallacies are well-enunciated, so they fool wnutz.

[ChristianEcon.com]

10:13 AM on 02/13/2010

I keep waiting for the Grinch's heart to grow 3 sizes but instead his brain shrinks.

[zest]

09:27 AM on 02/13/2010

This man is confused.

[ChristianEcon.com]

10:09 AM on 02/13/2010

Really?

[TxAggie73]

09:16 AM on 02/13/2010

Can any Republican tell the true history of 9/11 and their war on terror? Bush was bad for Texas schools as Governor and worst for the United States as a puppet president for Dicky and the rest of his ilk.

[Osusuki]

09:11 AM on 02/13/2010

Remind me again why anybody listens to any Republican about anything, especially one who served one of his wives with divorce papers while she was in a hospital bed. I normally like it when Jon Stewart brings these clowns on his show to let them make bigger public gaffes than they already have, but I see no reason to ever hear anything from Newt again. He has proven his ineptitude over and over again, and should seek anonymity desperately.

[exF14RIO]

11:42 AM on 02/16/2010

If you're going to point out foibles, don't forget John Edwards, the lying, sneaking adulterer who embarassed his wife while she was stricken with Cancer. SO, remind us again what your very intelligent point was?

[BMBTHC]

09:06 AM on 02/13/2010

PBSD - Post Bush Stress Disorder
It seems that in order to be a politician this day in age, you need to have lost your middle-term memory (if such a thing exists). That way you can completely contradict yourself but not have even the slightest tell that you are doing so. This seems to apply to all parties, but the GOP has become especially good at the shameless forget.

[shadowanddaisy]

11:36 AM on 02/12/2010

I think the Republicans are using a Magic 8 Ball to determine their talking points. How else can they come up with this stuff.

I think they should rename themselves the Alzeheimer's Party, because no one in it can remember anything the said or did prior to yesterday.

[treadway123]

12:16 PM on 02/12/2010

Ronald Reagons adm. State Dept. in 1987 said, "Terrorist is a crime, an a criminal act, an we must prosecute to the Rule of the U.S Law"! There famouse for quoteing him/his adm., but not on this one. Because it sides w/the Obama adm./ an our constitution.

[JeanPaulSatire]

07:23 AM on 02/13/2010

Dude, compose your posts in a word processor that has both grammar-check and spell-check. Your post is nearly unintelligible (but I agree with what I think you are trying to say), and people will take you more seriously.

Seriously.

[exF14RIO]

11:38 AM on 02/16/2010

How about fast-forwarding to the present? Now, we're at war, and the rules of war apply. Even Reagan would adapt to the new reality and direct Terrorists to be sent to Military custody and Military tribunals. There's nothing about the Military Tribunals that conflicts with our Constitution.

[retromega]

06:27 PM on 02/11/2010

It seems as if Gingrich is unwilling to treat terrorists as criminals. What does he think they are if not criminals? Does he think that they have redemming social gracies such as sincerity? or dedication to their religion?

I doubt that but the only way Gingrich has been treating alledged terrorists is as an oppurtunity for Newt Gingrich! In that respect, everything Newt Gingrich has done has served to ensure their are more terrorists. He has made sure that innocent people are labeled as terrorists, not because there is even a remote possibility that they are, but because this helps the recruiting of more terrorist.

The question should be asked "Why does Newt Gingrich want their to be more terrorist?" To do damage to his country? To kill more of Newt's fellow citizens? Of course not! The reason Newt Gingrich wants to have more terrorists is that Newt Gingrich thinks that more terrorist benefits Newt Gingrich! He is totally self serving. He hopes to make sure there is a great big niche for Newt Gingrich where he can enrich himself and have he ego and other body parts stroked.

Newt has figured out what he needs and it has nothing to do with what our country and its citizens need!

[exF14RIO]

07:19 PM on 02/11/2010

YOU are way off the mark. Gingrich, and the rest of sane Americans, want to treat terrorists as TERRORISTS! And HE gets it! Your comment couldn't be more ridiculous. If Obama and this Administration want to cede the fight against Terrorism to someone else, they're creating a HUGE opening with their actions, AND their argument. Take a look at any poll.... ANY poll, and you can see it for yourself. They are losing the argument, and the confidence, of theh majority of Americans. Prove me wrong....

[Mangos]

10:34 AM on 02/12/2010

The United States Supreme Court already has proven you wrong. "Proof" being a legal term of art indicating that evidence was presented in a court of law, which you have not done. Don't ask others to do your work for you!

[bknott]

11:20 AM on 02/12/2010

ANY poll??

Don't try to use a poll to bolster your argument. Besides the fact that most polls are biased either by: who is giving the poll, the way they phrase the questions, and the people they are able to reach, polls are an extremely poor way to prove an argument, after all:

In 2009, a poll found out that 25% of British citizens believed the Apollo II moon landing was fake.

People are biased and stupid, themselves.

[PDXTransplant]

05:45 PM on 02/11/2010

These irrelevant_a-holes all have to write books to feel relevant again, so they can talk about their beliefs and get themselves back into the limelight, like anyone givesacrap. All they do is remind us of how looney they really are. I was just thinking this morning, where has karl.rove been lately?