Gingrich Fights Ire With Ire

WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, May 9) -- House Speaker Newt Gingrich is back on the attack, only this time he's attacking fellow Republicans for attacking, well, fellow Republicans. In interviews with The Washington Times and ABC-TV that hit today, the Speaker was characteristically blunt.

On Sen. Alfonse D'Amato, who recently said the Gingrich-led House was hurting the GOP: "It would be more useful if he focused on the Whitewater committee and focused on doing his job."

On Republican philosopher Bill Bennett, who has recently been critical of Sen. Robert Dole: "If Bennett thinks the party needs excitement and passion, then Bennett should go out and be exciting and passionate."

On state GOP leaders, who have been griping about anti-Republican ads: "Go out and raise your own money... My advice to everybody who is anxiety-ridden is to go out and do something for the party."

Later, on CNN's "Inside Politics," conservative pundit Robert Novak noted that Gingrich, in rebutting D'Amato and Bennett, didn't appear to be following his own advice. Gingrich also appeared to be shedding the more moderate tone he's kept to in recent months after his public approval ratings fell to historic lows.

"My point to party members is simple," Gingrich told the Times. "You have an opponent -- it's called Bill Clinton. You have an opposition group. It's the trial lawyers and labor leaders. We ought to keep our attacks, our critical comments focused on the people who are on the other team."

Gingrich labelled Clinton's call for a 90-day cessation on politics "phony posturing... I think that's why people sometimes are tired of Washington, because so much of it is misleading and phony and so much of it is posturing. I frankly think it's sad (128K WAV sound) ."

Gingrich Fights Ire With Ire

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