Wolf Blitzer catches Newt Gingrich with his pants down for failing to condemn President Bush for apologizing to Iraqis for a Koran desecration incident in 2008:
BLITZER: I -- I don't know if you remember, but did you criticize President Bush in 2008 for apologizing to the Iraqis?
GINGRICH: Look, I wasn't a presidential candidate at that point.
I can't decide if that's a cop out or an honest answer. It's obvious how it could be a cop out, but the hidden honesty in that statement is that he's only saying the the things he's saying now because he's a presidential candidate—and a desperate one at that.
Perhaps sensing that his initial answer was thoroughly stupid, Gingrich launched into an extended monologue about how frustrated he is that Obama is a bible-burning supporter of Islam (that's only a tiny exaggeration, watch the video or read the transcript). Wolf finally reasked the question:
BLITZER: So I just want to be precise. I can -- I totally understand where you're coming from as far as President Obama is concerned, apologizing now. But with hindsight, was it wrong for President Bush to apologize back in 2008?
GINGRICH: Look, I think we should always have respect for various religious documents.
So ... even though he's now a presidential candidate (thereby allowing him to comment on such things), Newt Gingrich still won't say the same things about President Bush that he's willing to say about President Obama. Moreover, he suggests that President Bush was right to apologize, because "we should always have respect for various religious documents."
But apparently Newt Gingrich doesn't believe President Obama deserves any respect. And I think we all know why.
