GINGRICH: "I expect my government to protect the secrecy of documents that I give them. "

[kpete]

Newt Gingrich on “Hannity & Colmes”

...........

GINGRICH: Well, no. My first thoughts are to be totally with Senator Obama on this. I think your records are confidential.

HANNITY: I agree with that.

GINGRICH: The government has an absolute obligation to keep them. I suspect these people have broken the law. I don't think it's enough just to fire them and frankly if the first break through was back in January, how can they say that the security system worked? Why didn't they .

HANNITY: The only thing I might disagree on because immediately they make it a political statement by blaming the administration.

GINGRICH: Of course the Obama people can do what they want to. As an American citizen, I expect my government to protect the secrecy of documents that I give them. And I believe that they have -- that this is probably a very severe penalty. It's not enough just to fire these people. I think that the Justice Department should look into this, not just because it's about Senator Obama. But because we have to sustain a very high standard of protecting the right privacy of Americans.


http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/03/newt_gingrich_on_hannity_colme.html

[tekisui]

1. Interesting...

Newt defending Obama's privacy.

[Hugabear]

6. Newt hasn't been sounding like his old self lately

I've caught a few of his interviews over the last several months. He agrees with Al Gore on climate change. Seems like he's been singing a different tune on several issues, although off the top of my head I can't give you more examples other than that.

I don't believe for one minute that he's "one of us", not by a long shot. But I do think that he's trying to position himself as the leader of a "new and improved" GOP, co-opting a few progressive ideas here and there while maintaining a few core conservative ideas, and gearing himself for 2012.

[Clear Blue Sky]

14. Exactly

Newt is positioning himself for 4 years from now.

[eppur_se_muova]

19. His old self is too obviously unelectable. nt

[xultar]

10. Why is that interesting...he's not defending Obama's privacy, He's defending all our privacy.

[tekisui]

12. It's interesting because he didn't have to say anything.

He is taking a slight stand against the administration.

[xultar]

13. He's always been for privacy rights. Because he's gotten burned.

He's an ass but has always been a True republican. Bush is the one off the fucking track.

[Winterblues]

18. Yet he backs Bush*'s warrantless spying on Americans

Interesting...:shrug:

[shireen]

2. but it's ok to

eavesdrop on our phone calls and read our mail/email?
Would be interested in hearing exactly how these clowns define the word "privacy"!

[Mojorabbit]

8. Privacy rights

only for congresspeople and the wealthy. Us peons can be spied upon with impunity.

[shireen]

17. opps, sorry ....

thanks for putting me in my place. i forgot i was one of them little insignificant people who don't have rights .....

[lumberjack_jeff]

3. Sounding like a candidate. n/t

[tekisui]

7. What do you think?

Waiting in the wings? VP?

Does McDubya have more scandals or health issues that would be a deal-breaker, leaving Newt to take the reigns?

[Hugabear]

16. Maybe angling for a VP slot

I'd say it's a long shot, but you never know...

Having Newt as his VP would help booster his support among neocons.

[CoffeeCat]

4. Okaaaay....

I'm an Obama supporter , but something feels a bit "off."

Gingrich is promoting the privacy rights of Americans? So, how hard is he fighting against illegal wiretaps?

It's not that I disagree with Gingrich, but why is he coming out of the woodwork now to pontificate about
our right to privacy, which has been eviscerated by Gingrich's party and the rest of the neocon hacks.

My intuition tells me something is not right.

[islandmkl]

5. did hannity turn red or anything while he couldn't breathe?...

he had to be stroking out to have to listen to the neuter say such blasphemous things...

didn't see this myself...due to never watching h&c...maybe i should tune in occasionally..

[whistle]

9. Especially when it comes to cover-ups such as House Ethics violations and

....private book deals, eh Newt!

[havocmom]

11. Everyone should google tax returns + outsourcing

The GOP insistence on jobbing out government tasks results in more and more of OUR tax returns being turned over to private corporations for processing. Much of the work is done out of country.

The Newt makes fine appearance, but the facts are the privatization of government work is making it likely ALL of the private information we are required to give the government is not kept private. They are PAYING corporations to take that private and required information!

[Vickers]

15. "make it a political statement by blaming the administration"

Yes, that would be simply *awful* to make it a political statement by blaming the administration, seeing as how this was done for political purposes.

:eyes: