Good for the goose… bad for the gander.

What is happening to the far right? Are they losing their strict morals or are these morals upheld only if broken by a person outside their party? This past Thursday, the people from South Carolina attending in person the debate, proudly and fanatically displayed to the world that their morals are far from what they claim; actually they showed how amoral they all are. Frantically applauding and with a standing ovation to the most morally despicable politician in the debate: Newt Gingrich.

Newt Gingrich amoral behavior is nothing new. We all have heard of how in 1980 he ditched his first wife, Jackie Battley when she was having a tumor removed, at the hospital, because he had decided that she was not ‘presidential’ material as she was 7 (some say 9) years his senior. Apparently, he didn’t know about George H. W. Bush Sr. and his wife Barbara… She was not only unattractive but also looked like Bush’s mother and she was a First Lady, once. The truth was simple; he wanted to marry the woman with whom he had been unfaithful with for a while, his mistress, Marianne Ginther who in 1981, soon after his divorce from his first wife became the glorious Mrs. Marianne Gingrich. Newt was not content with having divorced his wife of almost 20 years for a younger woman, the first Mrs. Gingrich had to take him to court to get him to pay child support and alimony – that goes to show what a great dad he is!

At that time, amidst the witch-hunt initiated in the House of Representatives by none other than Newt Gingrich against the then President of the United States, William “Bill” Jefferson Clinton for having an extramarital affair, Newt was one of the most outspoken, repulsive and unforgiving critics of the president, while all along Newt was himself having an affair with an aid. Talk about being hypocritical!

But as it usually happens, he who lives in glass houses should not be throwing stones and such was the case with Gingrich and back in 1996, an investigation was conducted on him, it was found that he had committed over 80 ‘indiscretions’ and far more serious than an extramarital affair. It turned out that he had bounced 22 checks – and the right wants this guy for president during these economic crises? He made book deals with the now ill-famed Murdock; he used taxpayer’s funds for his own personal and political gain. Newt Gingrich can proudly say that he is the one and only member of the House and the first Speaker of the House who, in the history of this country, has not only been accused of ethical wrongdoing but had to pay a penalty of $300,000, and he had to resign in 1997.

In May 1999 Marianne was diagnosed with M.S. and the ever-thoughtful Newt took the opportunity to tell Marianne that he was having an affair with Callista Besek. Isn’t he a loving man? Not content with breaking such news to his sick wife, he allegedly offered her to have an open marriage, apparently he thinks that he is ‘all that’ and women will be willing to accept it in order for him to do them the favor of staying with them. Regardless of what high opinion he may have of himself, Marianne didn't accept and the couple divorced in April 2000.

A few months later, precisely in August 2000, he married his mistress. History tends to repeat itself, doesn’t it? Callista is a Catholic (a “good one”, I guess) and Newt decided to convert to Catholicism – obviously Newt can’t even be faithful to his own religion – and, as a final punch to Marianne, in 2000 Newt asked the Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta for an annulment of their marriage.  

Now, Callista after suffering a transformation from a ‘normal’ human being to a woman that looks as if she is in a constant state of surprise and wearing a helmet in an apparent effort to look young and presidential enough for her husband; a woman that if we are going to take into account the ‘confessions’ of Marianne about Newt’s proposal for a three-some with Callista, has been willing or has participated in this type of sexual activities must be really concerned with Newt’s new aid, a much younger, vibrant, pretty and natural woman: Lisa Graham Keegan. I am certain that the infidelities of Newt Gingrich didn’t end with Callista, after all, for Newt Gingrich a woman is nothing else but a thing to use and discard when they get sick, old or he gets bored. I for one will not feel sorry for her.

What remains unanswered is, how is it possible that the religious right is supporting Newt Gingrich? What happened to the ‘sanctity of marriage’, to the morals, truthfulness, with ‘thou shall not steal’? The next religious right nut that comes to me with their preaching, I will surely punch them in the face!