The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Fred Barnes Puts His Finger On It

Posted on | June 10, 2011 | 24 Comments

And by “it,” I mean, Calista Gingrich:

The problem was the wife. Aides to Newt Gingrich have resigned from his presidential campaign in protest of what they felt was a takeover by Callista Gingrich, the candidate’s wife since 2000. . . .
Callista Gingrich gradually emerged as Gingrich’s most influential adviser this year, supplanting longtime aides like Rick Tyler, his press secretary and aide-de-camp, and Sam Dawson, who was a major adviser for more than three decades. That Tyler and Dawson would join four others in quitting was a particular blow to the Gingrich campaign.
The others who resigned are: campaign manager Rob Johnson, Carney, and consultants Craig Schoenfeld in Iowa and Katon Dawson in South Carolina. Besides the entire senior staff, ten other campaign aides also quit.

Given that the Newt 2012 bandwagon has now obviously run into a ditch, let’s talk bluntly: In February 2009, I attended the premiere of the Reagan documentary, Rendezvous With Destiny, which was produced by Citizens United and “hosted by Newt and Calista Gingrich.” It was a great movie, except . . .

Calista Gingrich? What the hell was she doing in this movie? Every time she appeared on the screen, it felt wrong. Jarringly wrong.

Here was this cast of authentic heavyweights –James Baker, Marlin Fitzwater, Jack Kemp,  Bill Bennett, Ed Meese, etc. — sharing their recollections of the Reagan era.

And then there was Calista Gingrich.

She quite clearly did not belong in this company and, while I understand she played an important role in helping coordinate production of the film, her on-screen presence was a distraction. I didn’t write about it at the time, but I talked to several people at the premiere who had the same impression: Why would she insist on intruding herself into the movie?

So now, it seems, Gingrich’s wife has helped destroy his presidential campaign. Lisa Graas has further thoughts.

Category: Election 2012, Newt Gingrich

Comments

Comments are closed.