Bill Clinton: Newt Gingrich Is 'Being Rewarded For Thinking'

Bill Clinton praised Newt Gingrich while explaining his recent surge in the polls.

"I think he’s doing well just because he’s thinking, and people are hungry for ideas that make some sense," Clinton told NewsMax. "He's being rewarded for thinking."

He also praised the candidate's debate performance, though he declined to predict a primary win.

"I still think Romney comes across as strong and forceful and knowledgeable and I thought Perry had a better debate last night, he did much better than he's doing," he said.

The former president's praise is a surprise considering their contentious past. During Clinton's presidency, then-House Speaker Gingrich fought Democrats hard on such issues as Medicare and welfare reform. He also pushed for Clinton's impeachment.

More recently, though, Clinton and his allies have offered positive feedback on the GOP candidate.

"He is brilliant," Dick Morris, a former Clinton campaign strategist, told HuffPost's Sam Stein. "He's a very skilled adversary."

Clinton called Gingrich "creative, flexible, and brimming over with new ideas" in his book and, in September, predicted a comeback for GOP hopeful.

Comments

[Blackorpheus]

12:36 PM on 11/29/2011

I cannot myself testify to the veracity of the following; it was related to me by a previously unimpeachable source. Long before he became homely, young Gingrich was gang-raped by thugs, all of whom were apprehended and each of whom contracted an STD. Conclusion: young Newt was toxic. Extrapolation: current Newt is toxic.

[leeskyblue]

12:02 PM on 11/29/2011

Come now. Clinton also praised just about everyone on the podium.
A sensible political move -- he knows that attacking any individual Republican could backfire.

The comment by Dick Morris, Clinton's former strategist, is true -- Gingrich is a very bright guy. whether you like him or not.

Did someone expect either of them to say "Oh, Gingrich is also a power hungry SOB, a bull in a china shop who doesn't care what he destroys"? Not likely.

[zbowling]

07:00 AM on 12/01/2011

If you go to the cato institutes website and listen to Gingrich's speech on welfare reform, he says that he and Clinton were foils for each other. In fact the loss of a Dem Majority not only helped Clinton get reelected, it helped Clinton pass his conservative bills like Welfare Reform, Nafta, and financial deregulation. I couldn't have hurt him attack Serbia or Mogadishu either.

[bertysing]

12:18 PM on 12/03/2011

Actually, I don't think Clinton was praising Newt G, I think he was insulting the GOP....to make someone laugh while you insult them is a great skill.

[election2012]

04:48 AM on 11/29/2011

What's that Bill, GOP candidates aught to have a double-digit IQ, er, I mean poll rating, to run?

[ricciardoneent]

03:56 AM on 11/29/2011

I love it when politicians can speak across party lines with respect. I am real tired of all the negativity! You cannot solve our problems by pointing fingers, and stomping your feet.

[MyGuyO]

12:56 AM on 11/29/2011

Hey, remember that Bill Clinton is a master politician. You don't believe him, do you?

Clinton is just goading Newt so that he gets the nomination.... and lose big!

[Captain Archer]

11:51 PM on 11/29/2011

We already lost with Obama in company.

[Dont Tase Me]

12:24 AM on 11/29/2011

Bill Clinton is Slick... He knows that if he praises Newt, his chances of winning the GOP ticket improve... And, if Newt becomes the GOP nominee, and as more of Newt's "baggage" comes out... Newt would most likely lose in a match up against Obama. They don't call him "Slick Willy" for nothin...

[Captain Archer]

11:51 PM on 11/29/2011

And then we're still stuck with the most corrupt administration ever.

Great!

[bertysing]

12:20 PM on 12/03/2011

I don't get why you think Obama is corrupt. I like Obama, what is your thinkinjg process? Do you listen to Rush limbaugh? or sarah Palin? of bachwoman?

[Gianni Piazzo]

11:17 PM on 11/28/2011

My forecast: Gingrich will become the most intelligent president since Thomas Jefferson. In poltics, he has no peer. Anyone who could engineer a budget surplus with a sitting Democratic president in office, is all the proof you need.

[Bostontru2u]

12:56 AM on 11/29/2011

Are you Newt's long lost son?

[bertysing]

12:20 PM on 12/03/2011

LOL> good one

[bertysing]

12:22 PM on 12/03/2011

how did he "engineer" the surplus?. links, facts would be nice.

[Gianni Piazzo]

11:13 PM on 11/28/2011

As the man who 'made' Clinton's presidency, Newt deserves some blowback praise from Bill.

[Libertardo]

10:53 PM on 11/28/2011

Is the Obama administration getting Bubba to comment on each and every development in the Republican primary for political gain? Are they feeding him talking points? He seems to have something to say about everything going on. Doesn't he have anything better to do with his time than to keep on top of everything going on in the Republican primary throughout the entire primary season? It's very fishy, and shame on the administration for being so callous in their issuance of requests to former, impeached presidents.

[bjp4321]

10:39 PM on 11/28/2011

All this praise from a Dem; Clinton himself no less, should make the TPublicans think twice about backing Newt. If a Dem likes him there must be something wrong. Maybe it's that thinking thing?

[Bostontru2u]

09:55 PM on 11/28/2011

Clinton..joins the Clownside?

[Gianni Piazzo]

11:18 PM on 11/28/2011

That was a dumb comment that adds nothing to the conversation; only detracts from it.
Are you a liberal? (you sound like one)

[gr8abz]

08:16 AM on 11/29/2011

Oh, stop it. Now YOU sound dumb. There was a tad of truth to the first part of your comment. No doubt the Billster does respect the Newt for his brains and political skills. Clinton was never afraid to give credit when merited. But, when you say things like, "Are you a liberal? (you sound like one)" just because the guy says something you think lacks intelligent thought or fair mindedness -- then you blow your point and lose your argument.

[vetxcl]

09:07 PM on 11/28/2011

Here's the easy snipe: one con respecting another. One unsuccessfully impeached President seeing something to admire in a former Speaker that was forced to resign.
Alternately, what Democrat wouldn't want to run against Newt for brains?

[ajax2]

08:25 PM on 11/28/2011

HuffPost Headlines:
'Bill Clinton Praises Gingrich'
'Gingrich Blasts Obama'

Coincidence? Clinton has walked with devils before, but praising the sharpness of the assassin's dagger is even beneath dollar Bill.

[fourex]

08:08 PM on 11/28/2011

One must look deeply beneath the froth at the statements of both Clinton and Obama to get at a semblance of truth. Clinton praised Gingrich; Obama praised Reagan. Reagan and Gingrich are without question, major players in the assault on the middle class. History will certainly benchmark the Reagan years as the beginning of the decline, and the Gingrich leadership as sending many millions more into poverty. Yet our last two opposition leaders found time to praise some aspect of the assassins. Is it any wonder that the same economic policy that has decimated our democracy, has been running nearly unabated for more than 30 straight years.

[Gianni Piazzo]

11:22 PM on 11/28/2011

Really? Why was the poverty rate much lower during the Reagan years than it is now?
That 'social engineering' couldn't have anything to do with it, could it? And remember, 11 of those
"30 years" were under liberal presidents.......so I guess 'unabated' includes them as well, right?

[sixx]

11:22 AM on 11/29/2011

Gianni, get away from name calling and empty cliches. Economic data is difficult to change, and spins are only superficial. There are many studies with real numbers that mark 1980's as the beginning of our middle-class society. Here's one.
'A CBO study in 2011 found that the top 1% gained about 275% over a period between 1979 and 2007, although this number has decreased somewhat since 2007 as a result of the Great Recession. The increase is far above other income levels, especially the bottom 80%, whose share of national income growth declined over this period.'

[DontFanMeBro]

07:35 PM on 11/28/2011

He should thank his lucky Starr for the Right going after him in the 90s. Otherwise true blue liberals would have had the opportunity to really let him know what they think of his real-republican policies and triangulations.