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DEL.ICIO.USThe Gingrich decision: There’s still meat to be picked off these bones
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This afternoon, political consultant Phil Kent sent an e-mail to us — and the Wall Street Journal, National Review and Fox News — offering up an attorney in Washington to help explain the nuances of Newt Gingrich’s decision to give up his exploration of a White House bid.
In other words, the story is still galloping along — five days later. Not a good sign.
Lawyers are now joining the discussion. Here’s part of a posting from the Campaign Legal Center web site:
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has now announced that he has abandoned a possible run for White House. What caused the former Speaker to take this reality check? That his poll numbers are hopelessly negative? That he is a ‘Johnny Come Lately’ into an already crowded political field? That much of the big money has been tapped by other Republican hopefuls?
All of these are likely reasons, of course, but not the one that old Newt conjures up. Instead, he lays blame for his demise on [McCain-Feingold]. The charge is ludicrous on its face.
At another site, Election Law, Stefan Passantino, Gingrich’s general counsel and head of the McKenna, Long, Aldridge political law group — he’s the one pitched by Kent — says this:
No election lawyer I know of would permit a candidate for federal office to in any way raise money for, assist, lead or even, goodness forbid, coordinate with an enterprise like American Solutions. It’s a mutually exclusive option — one can raise money as a federal candidate or one can raise issues in the public square — but never both.
Comments
By jm
October 4, 2007 7:26 PM | Link to this
You mean a Republican lied? I’m shocked.
(for those of you who watched The Big Bang Theory this week, I’m holding up a “Sarcasm” sign)
By Walter
October 6, 2007 1:50 PM | Link to this
The “news” in this article is that Phil attributes the opinion to the actual author. In the past bad editors have made it seem like the thoughts of others were actually Phil’s.