You've got to be joking!

Newt Gingrich?  That two faced hypocrite who got caught plotting crimes on the phone, cheating on his taxes and having an affair with an intern while trying to depose a president for the same thing?  Run Newt Gingrich for President?

Oh yes, only in America and mostly in the Republican Party where morality means lie, cheat, steal and do anything possible to win and “family values” means attack the other guys family if it helps get you votes.

Sunday’s US News and World Report suggests that White House “insiders” are suggesting that Newt would make a great candidate in 2008 and that his hypocrisy problem is not at issue where the Party Faithful are concerned.  To this point I thought my opinion of the GOP was as low as it could be.

Now speaking of hypocrisy, when a cell phone conversation between Newt and colleagues was intercepted in 1997, the Party attacked Janet Reno mercilessly for allowing a crime to be reported by the press.

“Once again, Attorney General Janet Reno has decided that plunging into a pool of dubious ethics is more refreshing than doing her job as our nation's chief law-enforcement officer.”

Remember that cell phone calls are radio transmissions, and radio transmissions on any frequencies or modes have not been illegal to listen to since radio was first regulated in the early 20th century.  The Republican controlled press was livid that the Attorney General did not prosecute the press who did print the leaks and never mentioned that the conversation they wished to protect was a conspiracy and thus were more concerned with protecting a crime than protecting the freedom of the press to report it.  The upshot was a special and probably illegal law that prevented radio manufacturers from building scanners or receivers that could cover the part of the 800 MHz spectrum used by cell phone providers.

And of course now that party, as part of its orgy of dubious situational ethics has arrogated to itself the right to listen to anyone’s communications without judicial oversight or permission.  They now consider a proven offender and man of dubious morals to be a suitable candidate for the party of Jesus; to be the preacher in chief, to be the conductor of crusades.  It makes me wonder if the word criminal has any real meaning any more.