Newt Sees No Government Shutdown Ahead

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said today he believes it’s unlikely that the brewing spending squabble between congressional Democrats and the White House will lead to a government shutdown.

“If I were betting, I would guess no,” the Georgia Republican said, assessing the chances.

“But I would be very careful about who was likely to end up getting blamed” in the event of a shutdown, he said. “I wouldn’t do it for the fun of it.”

With Democrats looking to add another $22 billion to President Bush’s domestic spending request for next year, some see a standoff between Congress and the White House like the one in 1995 that led to a government shutdown.

Speaking at a luncheon at the National Press Club, Gingrich spent most of his time attacking the current patchwork system of presidential debates, while ducking questions about a potential candidacy of his own.