So apparently today Newt Gingrich was on a conference call with some religious right-wing nutters, and he demonstrated once again that he is utterly incapable of shame, for he actually had the stones to say this:
"It's pretty simple: marriage is between a man and a woman. This is a historic doctrine driven deep into the Bible, both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament, and it's a perfect example of what I mean by the rise of paganism. The effort to create alternatives to marriage between a man and a woman are perfectly natural pagan behaviors, but they are a fundamental violation of our civilization."
So to recap, according to Newt's logic here:
My friend Amy and her partner of 20 completely monogamous years getting married = rise of paganism.
But Newt leaving first wife with cancer + Newt leaving second wife because she wouldn't consent to an open relationship + Newt marrying third wife after having adulterous affair with her for 8 years = historic doctrine driven deep into the Bible.
Fundamentally, frankly, Newt Gingrich is one of the most vile and hypocritical human beings to appear on the American political scene - ever. And it's quite telling that so many in Washington overlook all his bullshit because he's an "intellectual" Republican. I forgot who said it or wrote it, but Gingrich is the intellectual among Republicans the same way that Moe is the intellectual of the Stooges.
h/t Andrew Sullivan