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Subscribe to RSSORLANDO, FL -- Following a town hall event at an Orlando public library, Newt Gingrich told NBC News yesterday that American troops should come out of Afghanistan as soon as the U.S. military can arrange a safe exit.
"I don't see us creating a stable government in Afghanistan in the foreseeable future," Gingrich said. "I think that we'd be far better off to get out as early as the generals can figure a safe way to do it."
The statement is part of a national security outlook that Gingrich's campaign describes as looking beyond Afghanistan -- to security threats the GOP candidate sees as more immediate, including the prospect of loose nuclear weapons in Pakistan and the spread of radical Islam through Africa.
In his one-on-one interview with NBC, Gingrich also encouraged House Republicans to propose their own jobs measure. "If they don't like Obama's approach, then they ought to show us their approach," he said.
Asked if he thought Speaker Boehner had a duty to bring President Obama's jobs bill to the House floor, Gingrich demurred.
"He can," Gingrich said, "but it'll be defeated badly. I suspect by the time they're done looking at it, a lot of the Democrats even won't for it."
Gingrich also reiterated his support for the idea of one-on-one debates among the GOP presidential candidates, but he said he had not sent letters of invitation to any candidates -- indicating he thinks that's a job for "somebody like C-Span."
Finally, asked if he thought Tuesday's special election in New York was a referendum on President Obama, Gingrich said yes, but added that it doesn't make a GOP victory in 2012 "fore-ordained."
But Gingrich added, "It sure should be a signal to Democrats that his joint session speech didn't work."
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Feisty... where are you? You're slipping old girl.
(sniff sniff... yep... she's around... but hiding I guess.)
Intelligent post, S O B-
Keep 'em coming.
Ever think that Feisty is just giving you your chance to be first and you waste it on whine. Is that all you've got Sick of, nothing to say about Gingrich. You blew it again.
P.S. What you smell is the rank odor of petty jealousy.
Gingrich isn't news! I'd rather have fun with the nasty one!
BTW Jody... based upon your comments is sounds like I fit right in with the libbies on this site!
THANKS!
So where is Gingrich's jobs plan? I'll bet once President Obama's plan is scored by the CBO, Republicans will have to eat their words.
Boehner has come out in favor of tax code reform. High time, but I hope he knows the corporate tax rate can't be lowered from 35% to 25% until AFTER loopholes and subsidies are ended first.
Now that President Obama has proved the US can be far more effective with traditional intelligence, special operations like the Navy Seals, and drones, AND requiring other first-world and oil-rich countries to invest some of their GDP in military action, maybe, just maybe Teapublicans will get on board with ending the wars and cutting spending for defense.
I'd like to see Homeland Security scaled way back, but that would have to be done by committee not by a POTUS. Also, closing some bases overseas--build them here instead. Bases boost the economy in the surrounding area. And of course, end aid to Afghanistan's Karzai and to Pakistan as well. Pakistan just uses the money to build more nuclear weapons. Enough!
Keep sending the GOP/TP to Town Halls, and we may just see some movement from the Party of No...
Business-is-always-a-risk, we say. But will GOP get past the risk/trap me-me-me-me excuses and create jobs for millions of Americans? Or will they pass up the opportunity once again.
Our President Barack Obama is out there fighting on our behalf to make jobs for millions of Americans. GOP voted down four jobs bills this year. GOP Governors have already fired 600,000 workers on the pretext of budget cuts.
PASS THE AMERICAN JOBS ACT AND NEVER MIND THE GOP TEARS.
That reminds me- it's been almost a year since the last election. You know- one of the 'elections have consequences' elections.
Where Are The Jobs ? ? ?
Good points, Backhouse. President Obama has been working tirelessly to get the economy going again, create jobs, cover millions more with health insurance, trying to fix Bush/Cheney's two unfinished wars and deal with the debt left to him since he took office while the GOPTP has been working tirelessly to defeat and stop him regardless of the pain and suffering they cause the American people in the process.
Prez-o has had more time off for vacations in the 2.75 years he's been in office, then me or anyone I know has had off in 10 years.
...I would not call that 'tirelessly'
Who is Gingrich?
Newt want us out of Afghanistan, when did he become a Democrat?
We've accomplished what we set out to do, the Taliban is out of power, we destabilized Al-Qaeda and Bin Laden is in hell.
Why aren't we out yet?
Great question Tom, it is time to go, but the military industrial complex needs the war...
Newt, the great flip/flopper. I watched Richard Engel and Rachel Maddow's two part special on our decade of war. As Richard pointed out, we defeated the Taliban and drove Al Qaeda out in the first three to four months and then Bush/Cheney set their sites on Iraq without finishing the job. Another mess left for President Obama to clean up. I'm all for coming home, the sooner the better, but also recognize that Bush/Cheney didn't finish the job and the USA broke it; they least we could do was try to stabilize it before heading home. I look for President Obama to end it on the time line provided with the surge. Our military will always claim just another year or two and then.....
It's nice that this blog is bringing the "Fringe to the Front" but, what's the cut-off?
Huntsman is at 1% (I am slightly ahead)
Newt is at 4%
And I seem to recall that we actually have an exit-strategy in Afghanistan. But it's always good to know what Newton is musing on today. What does Mike Gravel think? Is he still alive?
Anyway, keep up the good work!...
The truth is that Mr. Gingrich is quite correct. We don't seem to be very good at nation building. We might even take a look at the United States. There may not be guns blazing, but if you can't see a very uncivil civil war going on here, you have to be blind and/or ignorant. In any case, Gingrich is quite right about Afghanistan, moreso considering the fact that he identifies Pakistan as a terrible threat. Afghanistan is something of a base of operations for checking Pakistan.
This is the same former Speaker of the House who actually worked with the Clinton White House that balanced the budget and generated a surplus. We would all do well to remember that when President Clinton left office the CBO was projecting a zero national debt in little more than a decade. Gingrich prods the House to produce their own counterproposal to the President's proposals. That is exactly the way negotiations begin. Gingrich is right again.
Based on the results of Tuesday's special elections, again the former Speaker correctly points out that the election results cannot be considered some sort of mandate. He says Republicans should not be sitting back thinking they have 2012 in the bag. Right again.
It seems to be the order of the day the conservatives are going to bash ANYTHING liberals do, and liberals will bash ANYTHING conservatives do. This might be a time - at least for liberals - to recognize that the opposition just might be right.
Can somebody tell me where Navy is? Is he on vacation, banned for a while or what. Just curious.
Are you genuinely interested? He's fine; he wasn't banned and he'll be back.
We can hate it and complain about it or we can agree with it but the truth is, we'll be in Afghanistan for more years than we could imagine. The report is already out that the troops in Iraq are pulling back to bases in Kuwait. You know. so they be in the neighborhood. Face it, we're gonna have boots on the ground in the middle east for generations.
All thanks to Bush and Bush/Cheney.
Private contractors now outnumber military troops in Iraq. Perhaps the bigger question is which boots will still be on the ground? Private contractors are far more expensive and answer to no one. Cut their funding off now.
The thing about Gingrich is that often when you hear him being interviewed about a particular issue, he will appear lucid and knowledgeable. He will call out the Ryan plan or will acknowledge climate change. His economic ideology as an exception, his policies on climate change or immigration reform or US withdrawl of Afganistan would nearly match Obama's policies, but get him in a GOP debate and Obama is doing everything wrong.
Which is it Newt?
The Tea Party minority, which is also the social conservative faction Perry is catering too, and the purity test (they even boo Ron Paul the true Libertarian), and the pledges to outside interests -- the GOP is doomed. Gingrich, Romney, they all flip-flop as often as they change their underwear (magic or not) because their base has become a bunch of low-information Haters.
We need a minimum of two parties in our Republic in order to remain a democracy. The Teabag anarchists will destroy everything if they aren't thrown out ASAP.
who really cares what Newty Boy says? A few months ago he mentioned radical right wing policy when asked about the Ryan Plan, no it's not. In that same conversation he bragged about Perry's job creation model in Texas, now in the debates he is ragging on Perry for such low paying jobs in Texas. Lets not forget his wife gets sick so he cheats on her, then gets married again and his wife gets sick so he cheats on her too, but it's ok now he is married to the last one he cheated with. Great conservative family values.
This is a straight shooter, again I say who really cares what Newty Boy says?
WHO's he?
SORRY to be the bearer of bad news BUT Newt does have a plan , Newt does have solutions ,NEWT understands the problems we face as a nation as much or more than any body , and he knows what needs to be done about them ,
BUT you can not expect the Blind to see
AS FOR Obama what plan just more of the same crap that didn't won't work
ALL SMOKE AND MIRRORS even the Democrats are moving away from him
BUT there are those that will believe any thing regardless of the facts
I MEAN seriously I know people you could tell them the pole is 9 feet high and they would swear it was ten , you could take a tape measure and measure the 9 feet and they would claim the tape measure was wrong
BUT THEN AGAIN all I find on here is MOSTLY name callers , goody two shoes , MY STUFF DON'T STINK , folks so I really don't expect much
LIKE MAY BE A SOLUTION , or a few documented Facts that pertain to the issues
Do you guys get paid for this crap ,
PUT YOUR HAT IN THE RING lets find out what SKELETONS you all got in the closet