Answer The Question, Newt

The other day, CNN news man John King began a Republican debate by asking Newt Gingrich if he wanted to comment on his ex wife's claim that he wanted to maintain an open marriage. Newt's reply, in which chastised King and the media for asking such a question, drew loud applause and eventually a standing ovation. It's too bad he did not answer the question.

Thanks to the lies and indiscretions of Bill Clinton, questions like the one asked by John King to candidates with a checkered past personal life, like Gingrich, are fair game if you are running for public office.

Newt's response would have been a proper one had this been 1992 and he was being asked what kind of underwear he wore as was the case with Bill Clinton. However, when a candidate for president is on his third marriage and his current wife was the congressional staffer he had an affair with while married to his second wife, Americans are entitled to ask questions about the fitness of his personal life, past or present.

Candidates with questionable past financial dealings or voting records are asked and expected to explain themselves when they run for office so there is no reason one with a questionable past personal life should be excluded. Bill Clinton was hounded by the media over these matters as was Herm Cain, who recently dropped out of the primary process as a result.

These are difficult and challenging times for this nation and there is nothing wrong with voters wanting a leader they can be assured is not going to conduct himself in a manner that will adversely affect his ability to lead. George W. Bush was asked about his past drinking problems and Ted Kennedy never escaped questions about Chappaquiddick. To ask a candidate whose second wife claims he wanted to maintain an open marriage to explain himself is perfectly fair.

What's more troubling, Newt did not provide an answer, only a commentary about the media. If indeed Newt wanted an open marriage, he should admit it rather than hide behind a rehearsed response aimed to garner the vote of Christian conservatives. By simply telling us he has returned to his Christian roots is not an answer. Newt wants and needs the support of conservative Christians if he is going to have any shot of defeating Mitt Romney for the Republican nomination so it becomes easy for him to tell people about how he has grown closer to God rather than telling him he was once an adulterous male who wanted to have his cake and eat it.

However, Newt did not have this relationship with God when he was speaker of the house. His ethics were called into question and he eventually was voted out of office only to cash in as a well paid consultant to major lobbyists. If he is elected as our next president, many will wonder how he will handle the trappings of power that come with being the most powerful person in the world. Whoever our next president is, Americans deserve knowing we have a leader who will not embarrass the office or the nation because power went to his head.

Nothing about President Obama's past would indicate such a question should be asked of him. The same is true with Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, and Ron Paul. However, this is not the case with Newt Gingrich and he needs to be held accountable for failing to provide voters with an honest answer to a fair question.

Meet The Real Republicans

The Republican party has shown Americans what it really stands for recently and for most of us, it isn't pretty. There is a reason why Newt Gingrich is their front runner and will remain so unless he does something really stupid.

To show what Republicans really represent, lets begin by looking at those who wish they were the front runner.

First, there is Mitt Romney, a former governor who has experienced great success in both government and the private sector and who for a long time was the Republican front runner. It is hard to imagine why republicans would not want Romney as their choice to square off with President Obama. He has no skeletons in his closet or they would have come out by now and he has been happily married to one woman and raised a family any parent would be proud to show off. Sure, he is labeled a flip flopper, which may be true but then again, it may also show that he maintains enough of an open mind to know when and why to change his positions. Besides, if you look at most candidates, you can find some position they have changed on and could call them a flip flopper too.

Romney is not the choice of the big money wing of the Republican Party -- Christian Fundamentalists -- because they do not want to see a Mormon in the White House. It is that simple. If Romney were a Catholic or Protestant he would be a shoe in for the party nomination.

"That's not true," is the cry of Republicans. They claim to be an open minded party and love reminding us they are the party of Abraham Lincoln. That may have once been true but they more closely resemble the party of the Taliban with their hatred of anything that goes against their Christian beliefs and the Book of Mormon is right up their with the Koran on their burn list.

So Romney is out.

Why not Herman Cain? Okay, he has suspended his campaign amid allegations of a long time affair and reports of sexual harassment dating back to the nineties. I am not sure why this is a big deal to a political party who is supporting a guy on his third marriage and who actually left one wife after she was diagnosed with cancer. However, that is no big deal to republicans because A) Newt claims to have since come back to his Christian faith in the process of getting his life back in order, and B) Newt is not black.

"Wrong again," claim Republicans. "Newt is one of the smartest and most articulate politicians out there and that is what makes him our guy."

I will admit, Newt is quite intelligent and well spoken and seems to be the only candidate who actually answers the questions he is asked in debates rather than just rattling off talking points. However, if you ever listen to John Huntsman, you would find him just as intelligent and well spoken as Gingrich and he has served as a governor and government representative to several nations. Oh, but wait, he is also a Mormon so scratch him off the list of the party of the open minded.

Republicans could go with Governor Rick Perry of Texas but lets admit it, he is down right stupid. For this, I applaud the Republican Party for not backing a guy who continually reminds us he is the commander and chief of 20,000 troops. The Texas governor should have locked up the nomination by now but every time he opens his mouth in a debate he proves to us his predecessor, George W. Bush, was a rocket scientist compared to him.

Alright, so no Mormons, no blacks, and no stupid Texans. Well, how about an older guy like Ron Paul? "Not a chance," says Republicans. "We don't need some geezer who speaks his mind and breaks with the party line like he does." They're right. If they did, they could just run John McCain again and save money on campaign posters in the process.

Hey, how about running a female as your candidate? "Just as long as it is not Sarah Palin," you say. Actually, Republicans like Palin but lets face it, her priorities are focused on herself and her bank account. She can't afford to be the president. Besides, she does not have the kind of family you want to show off to the country. "Let's keep her on FOX where she can serve as a better looking Rush Limbaugh."

That leaves Republicans with Michelle Bachman, who for some reason, even they find to be a crazy lady. The only other viable female candidate the party has to offer is Condoleezza Rice but we all know wealthy, white, Christian males don't want to see an intelligent black woman calling the shots.

Okay, so no blacks, no females, no Mormons, no independent thinkers, and no stupid Texans. That just leaves Newt or Rick Santorum to choose from.

Newt has years of experience working in congress and has since gone on to make millions of dollars off of his "consulting" expertise. He knows how the game is played in Washington D.C. and will ensure the money wing of the Republican Party stays satisfied. He also will not hesitate to use our military in more pointless wars while insisting taxes do not need raising when there are plenty of programs left to cut.

Rick Santorum just hasn't been around long enough to master all that Newt has so I predict Republicans will run a Gingrich/Santorum ticket with the hope Newt mentors Rick as well as Obe Won mentored Luke in Star Wars. Together, in the ideal world of the Republican Party, they will lead our nation for sixteen years and guide us to the kind of greatness that only a real Republicans can appreciate; the kind that continues to benefit the one percent at the expense of the rest of the nation.