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Letter to Newt

Mr. Gingrich: I watched your interview on Meet The Press. The whole thing, live. Mr. Gregory asked you hard questions. I thought you handled them rather well. He was tough on your history of ugly divorces. You responded humbly.


But you did undermine Rep. Paul Ryan, and in a harsh way. And you quite clearly talked about health care, clarifying your point of view on coverage after Meet The Press showed a video from their archives (they are really good at digging up old, on-the-record stuff). In that video clip you supported mandatory health care.

(I understand the concept of mandatory healthcare; otherwise I don't know how the freeloader problem is ever resolved. But if we are ever going to restore any powers to the Commerce Clause, I don't see how a Federal mandatory program is Constitutional. The courts will eventually let us know.)

Overall, I thought you did quite a good job.

Then I heard you this week on Rush Limbaugh's radio show. If I hadn't watched Meet The Press, I might have bought your spin. But I did. And your spin was disingenuous at best. Stating that the quote clip was 18 years old and out of context. Where was that on Sunday?

Charges of flip/flopping on issues don't mean much to me. I usually learn something every day I didn't know. Seems to me it would be pretty dopey not to change positions if new facts and circumstances emerge. If you want to change your position on this issue, do it. But man-up and don't start trying to obfuscate. In the interim, you shouldn't criticize Mr. Romney for his foray into healthcare...

I thought you were an interesting candidate, but now I have my doubts.

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