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Holy Terror! Newt Gingrich Joked About ‘Allow(ing) An Attack To Get Through’

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One of the reasons former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich has such appeal for many conservatives is his ability to come up with bold ideas. One of the reasons his candidacy seemed doomed before it started is his propensity for saying them out loud. Case in point: At a 2008 book appearance, Gingrich told the crowd that “one of the great tragedies of the Bush administration” was that the more attacks they stopped, the less people felt a necessary sense of danger, adding “it’s almost like they should every once in a while have allowed an attack to get through just to remind us.”

Following a speech to promote his book, Days of Infamy, Gingrich was asked why the US hadn’t been hit since 9/11. He began by expressing shock that there had been no attacks, and that al Quaeda had not sent “ten or twelve sniper teams.”

“This is, by the way, the great— one of the great tragedies of the Bush administration,” Gingrich continued. “The more successful they’ve been at intercepting and stopping bad guys, the less proof there is that we’re in danger, and therefore, the better they’ve done at making sure there isn’t an attack, the easier it is to say ‘well, there was never gonna be an attack anyway.’ And it’s almost like they should every once in a while have allowed an attack to get through just to remind us.”

The line drew laughs and murmurs from the crowd (an indication of who shows up to a Newt Gingrich book appearance), and while the average lefty blogger will snarkily react with “Well, I thought the greatest tragedy of the Bush administration was the attack that did get through,” and even though partisans on the right would have no mercy in judging a Democrat who said anything like this, the kindest interpretation of this foot-in-mouth moment is that the former Speaker was making an abstract wish for vigilance. Less kind would be that he wished for an attack to gain political advantage. Worse yet would be to wish for an attack in order to gain power for the government, and to erode civil liberties.

Fortunately, Gingrich left no room for interpretation, adding “Why did we wrap so many people up? We wiretapped.”

National security hasn’t been much of an issue, intramurally, in the Republican primary race (they’ve mainly stuck to bashing President Obama), which might explain why this clip is only now surfacing. You can bet it will find its way into a general election ad or two.

Given President Obama’s far superior record of killing terrorists, Gingrich’s observation is prescient in a political sense. Because he has done such a great job of killing terrorists, the threat is no longer such that his record will benefit him. Pity the liberal (or anyone else) who wishes that were not so.

Here’s the clip, from C-Span’s Book TV:


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  • Gloves Dash Donahue

    Another veiled threat from Nancy Pelosi about a private citizen seeking office. What is this?

    “Pelosi On A Gingrich Presidency: “That Will Never Happen”

    Pelosi: “He’s not going to be President of the United States. That’s not going to happen. Let me just make my prediction and stand by it, it isn’t going to happen.”
    King: “Why are you so sure?”
    Pelosi: “There is something I know. The Republicans, if they choose to nominate him that’s their prerogative. I don’t even think that’s going to happen.”

    http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2012/01/24/pelosi_on_a_gingrich_presidency_that_will_never_happen.html

  • Anonymous

    Man I don’t know where to go with this one except to reject the idea that the American people should be cannon fodder.

  • Anonymous

    A prediction, pumpkin. More feigned victimhood from the righties.

  • Carl Rocco


    National security hasn’t been much of an issue, intramurally, in the Republican primary race (they’ve mainly stuck to bashing President Obama)”.  Let Dr. Paul speak and you’ll hear about national security.  If we had stuck to our Constitution over the past 50 years (and by “Constitution” I mean Dr. Paul’s views), there most certainly would not have been a 9/11 event.

  • Anonymous

    Yup. I remember Bill Maher being crucified for articulating a similar point back when he had his Politically Incorrect show on ABC. 

  • http://mediamatters.org/ Leedog

    Newt is not only a fraud, Newt is also an idiot for making such a statement!!

  • WiddleBabyDanielson

    Sounds like an intelligent statement.

    Where is the veiled threat?

  • Anonymous

    What Pelosi said to Grinch regarding electability, others (incidentally including Grinch) have said to Ron Paul.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_OBVBCUU25NC6ZNDCW7KGZWPRZQ Christopher

    For someone who thinks he the resident funny man with all of his absurd jokes, ole Tommy sure seems to take certain things extremely super serious seriously serious.  

    Dude, go back to the well.  Dig something else up.  Fail.  

  • val smith

    The threat is in the mind of hypersensitive righties of course. Gloves will be up all night sweatin’ it out and shakin in baby booties.

  • Anonymous

    “For someone who thinks he the resident funny man with all of his absurd
    jokes, ole Tommy sure seems to take certain things extremely super
    serious seriously serious.”

    Because the topic is terrorism…not too much room for humor in that. 

  • Anonymous

    You sure do like to run from the topic.  Is that why they call you Dash? 

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_ERDSZOOPOITNDF3GS45TPSRZP4 Jeff

    Tommy, did the DNC check come in yet. You are the biggest liberal, Obama ass kicking shill out there.

  • Чёрт Возьми

    The logic. We need to be in more danger so we will know we are in danger.
    Or, we can remember every time we go through an airport security line.
    OK. So most of us don’t fly all that often, but we do not need reminders that there are terrorists out there. There some terrifying political figures who continuously remind us, and a lot of them WANTED a few terrorists to get through during Obama’s administration.

    PS. Gingrich for Republican Nominee! Best thing that can happen to Democrats!

  • http://www.facebook.com/andrew.sappington Andrew Sappington

    A good conservative would just ignore Newt’s words.  Or if confronted with the video of Newt’s words, a good conservative would just change the subject and blame the messenger.  A good conservative will always put party ahead of country.  As long as the R wins the election, a good conservative will be happy.

  • Anonymous

    And people actually vote for this so called, “man”.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_OBVBCUU25NC6ZNDCW7KGZWPRZQ Christopher

    Yawn.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_OBVBCUU25NC6ZNDCW7KGZWPRZQ Christopher

    Good one!  So called, “man”.  I have no idea what that means but I’m sure it’s hirarrylus.  

  • Anonymous

    Disregarding the fact that this is completely off topic, I’d say that’s a pretty accurate statement. 

    But, then again, if the Republicans were able to vote Bush in twice, I best not speak too hastily… 

  • Dirk

    Yet Cheney warned that if Bush wasn’t reelected, “we’re gonna get hit again.”

  • http://www.sarainitalyblog.blogspot.com/ sarainitaly

    Penn said “Obama needed a “similar event” to achieve that reconnection following his party’s midterm losses.” – a tragedy to help Obama out politically. 

    Newt, I believe, was making the point that we become complacent, and forget that there is still the threat of terrorism, that we need to remain vigilant. 

    Two different things, no? 

    Given President Obama’s far superior record of killing terrorists, Gingrich’s observation is prescient in a political sense. Because he has done such a great job of killing terrorists, the threat is no longer such that his record will benefit him.

    Not sure what TC was saying here, but considering Obama drops “I killed OBL” whenever he can, he is 1.) Reminding voters to benefit himself politically, and 2.) Reminding us that the threat is still out there.

  • http://www.sarainitalyblog.blogspot.com/ sarainitaly

    It’s not a veiled threat – it’s a threat.

    To which the Minority Leader responded, “Let me just say this. That will never happen.”
    When asked why, Pelosi elaborated, “He’s not going to be President of the United States. That’s not going to happen. Let me just make my prediction and stand by it, it isn’t going to happen.”
    “Why are you so sure?” King pressed.
    “There is something I know. The Republicans, if they choose to nominate him that’s their prerogative. I don‘t even think that’s going to happen.”

    If he becomes the Nominee, she says she will drop the bomb on him. Last month when she brought this up, she was reminded that her actions were illegal. Not sure what she is talking about, but it kind of sounds a little like blackmail to me.
    http://michellemalkin.com/2011/12/06/pelosi-gingrich-2/ 
     

  • Anonymous

    Newt Gingrich will never be President.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_NRXU7LAJ2DLVHPGX25WOQR3RI4 chris l

    Hell, TC doesn’t know what he’s saying.  He gets forwarded a clip from some wingnut living in his mom’s basement and throws it out there.  That the left’s strategy at the moment.  Throw manure at the wall and hope something sticks.  Really, what else are they going to run on?  Definitely not a record of achievement. 

  • WiddleBabyDanielson

    How can you change Presidents in the middle of a war?

  • Anonymous

    Your partisan hackery is indeed tired.  Get some rest. 

  • Anonymous

    It’s kind of sad that the only way that someone like Newt feels the American public can best be served is if they live in a perpetual state of fear and that it’s worth sacrificing innocent lives in order to achieve that. It shows the callous disregard he has for the lives of normal people of America, that some of them are expendable in order to keep the right in power.

    There are only so many times he can play the mainstream media persecution card, statements like these will come around to bite him on the backside and deservedly so. People can say it’s just a joke all they want, but knowing this is how he feels about national security, how could anyone ever fully trust him to act in the best interests of the electorate?

  • Anonymous

    Her ctions would be illegal if it were something from the investigation that wasn’t released in the report. It just COULD be something altogether separate from those proceedings. Newts been a practicing dirtball for a long time:

    http://newsone.com/nation/casey-gane-mccalla/newt-gingrichs-real-wife-problem-the-merchant-of-death-bribes/

  • Anonymous

    It’s Newt that will be cannon fodder, not us!

  • Anonymous

    “OK. So most of us don’t fly all that often”
    Thats OK, we have Randy Paul to remind us!

  • Anonymous

    I think it has to do with his actions as a spouse. You know, how he had the daughters from his first wife calling his second wife a liar so that he could justify fooling around with his third wife, while still married to his second wife. You’re right, it’s not that funny, but I don’t think Jayson2 meant it as a joke. But any humor beyond Jerry Lewis is lost on you Republicans.

  • Anonymous

    Newt: “Anyone who would use my words against me is a liar.”

  • Anonymous

    The right had 8 years to create a record of achievement to run on, to show their policies on economics and national security would help the economy, they failed, they left America in considerably worse shape than when they came to power and none of the people running on the right has come out with anything that would help change the situation other than yelling about the president being wrong and claiming he’s trying to divide people.

    The sad thing is nearly everyone they’ve put up to run against Obama is already damaged goods, there’s so much material like this out there the left don’t even have to try. This clip could have remained buried and Newt would still remain unelectable because there’s just so many other problems with him as a candidate and a human being.

  • http://www.facebook.com/chasrmartin Charlie Martin

    Tommy, this time you should really be ashamed of yourself.  Here’s Newt using obvious irony, and you don’t pick it up.  Since you’re a big hipster, fan or Jon Stewart and all, I kind of assumed you were up on the whole irony thing.  Maybe not.  So, you tell me: are you not particularly literate in English, or have you decided to push this idiotic story knowingly?

  • Anonymous

    Yes, Newt with an ironic take on the worst terrorist attack on American soil that killed thousands, there’s nothing disgusting about that.

  • http://www.sarainitalyblog.blogspot.com/ sarainitaly

    and your comment is relevant to my comment, how, exactly? 

  • Anonymous

    You people drinking the Ron Paul kool aid kill me. I bet you are either under 30 years old or took the short bus to school.

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