Newt Gingrich Responds To Powell-Cheney Debate

By: Michelle Levi
Topics: In The News

In response to suggestions that some Guantanamo detainees may not be tried and sentenced to death in order to deny them the chance of becoming martyrs to their cause, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said, "Someone who is desperate to be a martyr" will probably succeed.

(CBS)

"If we let them go, they'll go back to obtaining martyrdom by being suicide bombers," he said on CBS' Face The Nation Sunday.

He called the possibility of adding North Korea back to the State Department's list of state sponsors of terrorism "a good step in the right direction."

He argued that the Chinese allow for North Korea's defiance &30151; and really hold the financial key to stopping Kim Jong Il. "The morning China decides to do something about North Korea, they'll change overnight," he said.

When asked by guest host Harry Smith who is the most "Republican" — Dick Cheney, Sarah Palin, Colin Powell, Rush Limbaugh or himself — Gingrich said, "All of us are."

"Colin Powell is a great American. I'm proud to be a Republican. Dick Cheney is a great American. I'm glad both of them are Republicans," Gingrich said, referencing a debate between the two leaders born on Face The Nation.

He said as a "Reagan Republican" he believes in the broadest possible base for the party and added that California recently voted to lower taxes, suggesting potentially large support there beyond the party's traditional demographics.

When asked about his presidential aspirations, Gingrich said that he will decide whether to run for president by 2011. He told Smith that there are three main factors which will contribute to that decision: the support of his family, the practically and realism of a successful campaign, and whether his party had a credible, alternative vision for the country.

"You know better than anybody it's one thing to run, it's another thing to govern," said Smith. "Would the running be worth it?"

"I wouldn't run unless I thought we could govern," he replied. "There are 514,000 elected officials in America. And I think unless you can get a wave of change … the President by himself or herself can't affect the scale of change we need to compete with China and India."

More from Face The Nation (6.07.09):

Concerns About Detainees Becoming Marytrs

Gingrich Opts To "Reframe" Racist Tweet

Read The Complete Transcript> (pdf)

To watch Newt Gingrich click on the video player below.

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by blindersoff June 8, 2009 1:31 PM EDT: He won't make it past a Republican primary. Too many skeletons he couldn't keep in the closet. The family values party (tongue in cheek) is not going to send a cheating divorcee to the general primary. Huckabee, Palin, or, Romney and I welcome any of them. Unless things turn for the absolute worse, I don't see President Obama not getting a second term. He has a big mess to clean up or at least try.; Reply to this comment


by hwy71so June 8, 2009 10:51 AM EDT: Newt's been impressive hear lately.; Reply to this comment


by starleo146 June 8, 2009 10:36 AM EDT: Posted by DefendLiberty at 12:24 PM : Jun 7, 2009

You nailed it, I was thinking the other day after Newt's comments, what is the difference between the radical in the middle east and here with the Rushes, NEWTS, Lindsey Graham's Honestly if they think the American people could be that stupid. When will they stop trying to destroy instead of building a better America.; Reply to this comment


by starleo146 June 8, 2009 10:30 AM EDT: GOP, Give me your lame, your tired your same recycled excuses..

that should be the new Mantra.
Reagan Conservative?
That myth has been put to rest.
Posted by king-diamond at 4:40 PM : Jun 7, 2009

Until Reagan there were no homeless people, his reagonomics are part of the breakdown today in our economy, that trickle down theory,that never trickled down, I tell you if they keep up with Saint Reagan it will fully be explained, and finally the adoration will cease. I think he was such a bad president policy wise that someone will take that new statue of him and drag it through the streets of Washington DC and then whipped with a shoe; Reply to this comment


by sjc_1 June 7, 2009 8:01 PM EDT: "..California recently voted to lower taxes.."

California voted for balanced budgets. You can spin and distort all you want, but that just makes it an ignorant lie. What the people said was lay off half of the bureaucrats sitting behind desks collecting paychecks and balance the budget.; Reply to this comment


by king-diamond June 7, 2009 7:40 PM EDT: GOP, Give me your lame, your tired your same recycled excuses..

that should be the new Mantra.
Reagan Conservative?
That myth has been put to rest.; Reply to this comment


by globalcoolin June 7, 2009 7:31 PM EDT: There's no point in trying to keep gitmo a focal point of American's attention. We don't want to trust Obama's "vision" or grand "peace" conepts aas his vision has just cost us trillions of dollars, millions of jobs far into the future, and perhaps many more American lives to come threw a phony peace.
Republicans have to contribute to the campaigns of CONSERVATIVES because GOP Moderates do not win races!
This is because the great press GOP moderates usually get evaporates on them at the critical time!; Reply to this comment


by wirelesstester June 7, 2009 6:48 PM EDT: Who listens to this jerk? This guy is a self-serving as&h*($. He is just like Rush limbaugh. They are just talking heads with puke running out of their mouths.; Reply to this comment


by iam4honesty June 7, 2009 3:37 PM EDT: "He said as a "Reagan Republican" he believes in the broadest possible base for the party "

The only thing left for the old 'trickle-down', loser, has-been GOP'ers is to swoon for the 'good old Reagan days'. This troop of clowns still haven't figured out that it was Ronnie Raygun that started the spiral downward for the republican party. Trickle-down economics (that the 'stiff-upper-lip republicans like to call "Supply-Side Economics") was doomed to failure from it's beginning. The very idea that big business and the very wealthy can be trusted to share the bounty is absurd. Reagan was an actor, though. As soon as Gorbachev attained success in freeing the nations bound by the Soviet Union Reagan took center stage with his phony "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall" speech. The intellectually challenged element of our society seem to love drama. I guess that's why they have elevated Rush Limbaugh to the leadership position in their party.

ROFLMAO!!!

RIP
GOP; Reply to this comment

by DefendLiberty June 7, 2009 3:24 PM EDT

Newt is completely disingenuous about Powell. The only thing Newt and the current far right GOP want is the VOTES of the Powell wing (what is left of it) in the GOP. Otherwise, they want to pursue their radical far right agenda.

The GOP has become the last bastion of extremist far right fundamentalist/neocon orthodoxy. There is no infinitesimal compromise or accommodation to reality that these few zealots will tolerate. The ascension of FAR RIGHT ORTHODOXY as the driving force in the GOP should be a concern to ALL Americans. The GOP is running itself into a far-right corner. Voter self-identification with the GOP is down to 21% in the latest polling. Few moderate voices remain. There are no more "liberal republicans". It's now an oxymoron. The few moderates that remain are badgered, marginalized, criticized, and threatened by their EXTREMIST party leaders. The fervent quasi-religious direction of the remaining core GOP "true believers' is becoming increasingly incompatible with a free pluralistic society.

The extremist neocon takeover of the GOP is not the biggest problem. The CHRISTIAN TALIBAN has come to America, and it is the GOP. Religious extremists and their political hitmen steering today's rump GOP cannot be reasoned with. Their "belief" is all they need, and woe to anyone who differs or suggests the retention of a religion-neutral government. These people are dangerous. The only path to liberty is by keeping these zealots and nut jobs from power by ballot or by force if necessary. Defending the Republic against the THEOCRATIC RIGHT is patriotic and necessary to ensure liberty for all. Otherwise we will end up with the Christian Taliban running an IRAN STYLE DICTATORSHIP of CHRISTIAN MULLAHS.

The GOP is shrinking into an ever smaller and more RADICAL base. The only ones who will remain are the extremist Christian Taliban, Rush's dittoheads, and the far-right PARROTS who believe Fox News is actually "news". Truly frightening for the country.

Reply to this comment


by fr33d0mhawk September 27, 2009 12:54 PM EDT: BINGO- I totally agree because I was a (sounds funny how) small government conservative, and when I had the audacity to criticize Bush for his legendary growth of government to KGB proportions, I was kicked out of college republicans club, insulted, my military service insulted, threatened with physical injury and my car was keyed. So, I decided as punishment to the Neocon GOP Taliban, that I will vote straight democrat for at least 10 years. Liberals treated me with much greater respect even though I am for free trade and less government and against affirmative action. The liberals win this round with me, and the funny thing is I dont feel like I lost. Instead I feel like I finally won.

Thanks liberals for keeping calm and objective heads in spite of my former neocon Christo-taliban colleagues violent histrionics. The more time that goes by, the happier I am about making this 10 year switch, and if after 10 years the GOP has not removed the Christo-Taliban PNAC neocons, I will probably remain a democrat voter for life, albeit leaning towards libertarianism. If members of the Christo-Taliban key my car again, or carry through on their threats of violence against this Gulf War veteran and my children, then I will start donating big money to the democrats on top of just voting for them.