Face in the News: Gingrich, Gibbs

(CBS News) Sunday on Face the Nation, Newt Gingrich suggested it was time for the U.S. to withdraw from Afghanistan, saying the nation doesn't have the "willpower" or "capacity" to "fundamentally change the region." His comments - coming right after a U.S. soldier apparently killed 16 Afghan civilians in what appears to be a dead-of-night breakdown -- sparked a debate about the continuing U.S. role in Afghanistan. Gingrich suggested the U.S. needs to "reconsider the whole region, we need to understand that our being in the middle of countries like Afghanistan is probably counterproductive." His comments have shown up in newspapers across the country - from the Los Angeles Times to the Washington Post.

Gingrich also explained how he would react to the incident if he were president. He said, "We obviously want to offer condolences to the families and I think we want to offer compensation, we want to recognize that this is a terrible event."

One of Gingrich's latest attacks on President Barack Obama is that the president apologized to Afghanis when U.S. soldiers burnt Korans, even though Afghan President Hamid Karzai did not apologize to the U.S. for the six soldiers killed during protests over the Koran burning incident. Gingrich made a clear distinction between these two deadly events, calling this weekend's event "a totally different situation."

Read more about the debate over the Afghanistan withdrawal from Bloomberg News.

Shifting back to politics, Gingrich and Robert Gibbs both had a lot to say about the Republican presidential primary. Robert Gibbs called the race "corrosive," but admitted it was "fascinating to watch." He also hit Mitt Romney over losing Kansas to Rick Santorum, which Politico examined.

Gibbs also gave Romney a bit of advice on "Southernisms" as he heads into primary contests in the deep South. Read about those in Politico, too.

Moving to the deep South, Gingrich told Bob Schieffer he thought "the odds are pretty good we'll win" Tuesday's primaries in Mississippi and Alabama. Read about that in the Wall Street Journal. He also insisted he's going all the way to the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., this summer. The Huffington Post took a look at his promise to battle it out with Santorum and Romney until then.

Looking ahead to the important Texas primary a little farther West, Schieffer had some tips for the candidates about eating a tamale. Check out his words of wisdom at CBS News.