Newt discusses Senator Obama's latest endorsement

The Big Story with John Gibson
Fox News Network
March 21, 2008

KELLY: Well, joining me now is former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a FOX News contributor and author of the best seller, "Real Change."

Mr. Speaker, thanks so much for being here with us.

REP. NEWT GINGRICH, (R) FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER: Glad to be with you.

KELLY: OK. So, Richardson is saying today that it is time for a new generation of leadership, essentially saying it's time for Hillary Clinton to get out of this race and let Obama emerge as the presumptive nominee. Ouch. Is this the first nail in Clinton 's political coffin?

GINGRICH: Well, first of all, it is a huge Easter gift for Senator Obama. I think it also is the first sign that the nomination is starting to get away from Senator Clinton. If a number of other politician delegates start deciding that the way to end the tension is to endorse Obama in the next two or three weeks, you could suddenly see a pretty significant number of very senior Democrats deciding that they don't want to go all the way to Denver. They don't want to have a divided convention, and that this is basically over, that she's not going to be able to catch him.

KELLY: How much sway will this have, not so much with the voters but with the other super delegates? He is a very popular governor, he is very popular within the Democratic Party and most analysts are saying her only way to the nomination at this point is to win those super delegates. How much sway will this have with them?

GINGRICH: I think it has a lot of sway with them, because it reminds them that in the end, you can't have politician delegates turning on the American people.

If Senator Obama comes out of these primaries and with all the things being done in Florida and Michigan to stop them from having a new vote, it's very likely that those two states aren't going to count, and Senator Obama is going to have a situation where he clearly is going to have the most delegates coming out of the primaries. He's clearly going to have the most votes coming out of the primaries.

And at that point, I don't see how Senator Clinton can argue with the politician delegates that they should, in effect dump the choice of the American people for an insider choice. And I think it would literally split the Democratic Party wide open if that were to happen.

KELLY: You know, the buzz, when this happened today was Richardson is going for the vice presidential nominee, he wants to be on the ticket with Obama. What do you think the odds are that there was some sort of deal cut between the two men?

GINGRICH: Zero. I can't imagine Senator Obama cutting a deal at this point. I can imagine him saying to Governor Richardson that he likes him a lot, that admires him, that he's always watched his career, that he certainly wants his advice, but I can't imagine Senator Obama giving away the vice presidency.

First of all, it would be illegal and second, he doesn't need to do. He is building momentum on his own.

KELLY: In meantime, we mentioned this when we opened the show, Barack Obama spoke out again today on the Reverend Wright controversy.

Let's play the sound that he gave, his latest iteration of the whole thing and I'll get you to react.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BARACK OBAMA, (D) 2008 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I was not aware that he had made some of the most offensive statements that have been looping on the Internet and on the television news.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KELLY: So first, you know, last week, last Friday, as a matter of fact, he told our own Major Garrett that he wasn't aware of the statements. Then he made the speech on Tuesday saying, well, he was aware of some statements. Now, he comes out today and says, but I wasn't aware of the most controversial statements.

Put it in perspective for us. Is that plausible? Do you think that's going to resonate?

GINGRICH: Look, I think, this hits at the heart of the Obama candidacy at two levels.

First of all, if you spent 20 years in that church and didn't notice things that the church was so proud of that they put in the DVD that they were selling. If he didn't recognized that Farrakhan was being made Citizen of the Year for lifetime achievement by the church in their magazine, if he didn't realize that Reverend Wright went to Libya to see the dictator, Muammar Qaddafi with Farrakhan, you have to wonder how out of touch with reality he is.

And second, does anybody seriously believe him? I think, this goes right to the heart of his veracity and his integrity and I guess, it's a huge mistake for him to try to play cute games with this. He clearly knew. He clearly decided not to react, and he now has the consequence that many, many Americans find that very unacceptable.

KELLY: You know, he made very clear on Tuesday that he wanted that speech to be what he called a rhetorical end point to this whole controversy over Reverend Wright. Obviously, it hasn't been. It's still been in the media and even Barack Obama is still talking to it today.

Most interestingly, they leak, his campaign leak a photo to "The New York Times" today of Bill Clinton back in 1998 meeting in the White House, here it is, with Reverend Wright. This tactic was dismissed by the Clinton campaign as desperate. What's your reaction to it?

GINGRICH: That it's silly. I mean, on the one hand you're saying that Senator Obama didn't notice in 20 years of sitting in the pew, but he's now going to blame President Clinton for a ceremonial visit? Give me a break.

I mean, if the Obama campaign actually released that, it was totally self-destructive, because it just further highlights -- Senator Obama is asking us to believe that in 20 years he didn't notice any of this stuff, and yet here he was subjecting his wife and his children to this kind of hate rhetoric, and he didn't notice it? I find that very hard to believe.

KELLY: And that somehow it is analogous to have a White House meeting with, you know, being married by the guy, having your children baptized by the guy.

GINGRICH: Well, that's like his totally dishonest effort to compare Geraldine Ferraro's totally straightforward factual comment with Reverend Wright's hatred and anti-Semitism and racism. I thought that was another zap where Obama really was diminishing his own value by stooping to be just sort of a politician trying to hide behind what were really very false examples.

KELLY: Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, thanks so much for being here. We appreciate it.

GINGRICH: Thank you.

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Comments

By DamnWeWishYouWerePresident.com @ Sunday, March 30, 2008 2:25 AM

Richardson wants to be VP, so he dissed Clinton. Only 2 reasons why Obama is wanted in the White House so much by his peers...either he will be a puppet because he knows nothing or it is thought McCain can beat him. However, we cannot rule out that none of the men in power want a woman in the White House.

Newt, thank you for standing up for Hillary in a manner of speaking. 99% of the media and the government is Not supporting her. I commend you on speaking with common sense. By the way, Bill Clinton didn't lie to the people over Monica..He said he didn't have sexual relations and he meant intercourse. Ok, he omitted the truth, but wouldn't you? Furthermore..no one gives a care about adultery, not france, not Europe..It goes back to Adam and Eve, doesn't it? They ate apples..so forever we will eat apples. Well, if people cared to be honest, actually, men are given an extreme sex drive and then our society dictates they must supress that a great deal of the time. So, it stands to reason there will be affairs. I spoke to man once who told me that men get aroused sometimes just from the wind hitting their shorts and that women do not know this and wouldn't be able to relate. People don't like to speak the truth about it. Again..France doesn't care..why should we so much??

By MonaViemom @ Friday, March 28, 2008 1:38 PM

The only thing that troubles me in this election is the very fact that 90% of college kids are NOT fully investigating the background of Obama and therefore could throw both of our country's future away from us and our grandkids. Look at his record so far---do we really want a president who could be easily swayed by hatred and racisim & in the name of "God" promote our own ways of thinking instead of doing what the Bible & God commands us to "love one another as I have loved you?" Talk about being a hyprocrit -- no wonder people do not go to church anymore if they talk like this Rev. Wright. Shame on you Obama for even entertaining the idea that he be of any influence in the world today.

Thanks for reading and for sharing your website with us Mr Gingrich! You and your wife rock the house!!!!!!!!

By ep3 @ Thursday, March 27, 2008 12:27 PM

Obama saying he didn't know about the dark side of Reverend Wright is like a white politician say that he joined the KKK for the social outings.

By @ Thursday, March 27, 2008 9:12 AM

I see many puzzle pieces on my table before me. As I put them together, a crystal clear picture emerges. I have a section that is filled with 'Gang Members'. Since they hang out together it is safe for me to say, they all think alike, that is why they associate. And what does the Gang do? Kill, intimidate and sell drugs. I see Obama hanging with the Neo Karl Marxist Cabal. So... Duh duh duh. The unbelievable Obama tableau is the most frightening of all. I think Karl used to say something about "useful idiots?" These people are so desperate for "change" they would vote for Satan himself, if he ran. In summary, after putting all the political pieces before me together, a title has appeared. The title, just above all three candidates reads, "HOBSON'S CHOICE"....

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