Open mouth, insert foot. Repeat.

During his appearance last week on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House, asserted that it was completely acceptable to hold and try Richard Reid, the “Shoe Bomber”, in civilian courts, because “he is an American citizen”.  This in response to Stewart’s question why he, at the time, accepted Reid’s prosecution in civilian courts, but is against trying Guantanamo detainees in Federal Courts now.  The only problem?  Reid is a citizen of Great Britain, not the United States.

It would appear Mr. Gingrich suffers from the same affliction many right-wing pundits do – selective memory, or none at all.

Newt later sent a Twitter post, explaining that he was referring to Jose Padilla, who is a citizen of the United States.  Maybe it was the bright lights on the set that confused him.  Or maybe he was nervous talking to Jon Stewart.  Or maybe he was so busy thinking about what he wanted to say next about “his” book, that he simply misspoke.  Maybe.  I rather doubt it, however.  I suspect he’s just not used to speaking to people who are highly intelligent, and do their research.  A long career “leading” wingnuts might make one complacent and sloppy.  So few of them demand a high standard from their leaders, as long as they tell them what they want to hear.

How can anyone take anything Gingrich says with any confidence when he has basic information so very wrong?  And it’s not like he hasn’t had time to find out, Reid made his attempt back in December of 2001!  Way to keep up, Newt!

And it’s not that I expect everyone to always be correct, but you’d think that someone in his position in the conservative movement would be on the ball when he appears on national television!

So, wingnuts, your “leaders” are not doing so hot.  Recently Sarah Palin and her “hand-o-prompter” fiasco while slamming President Obama’s use of a teleprompter, and now Newt’s gaff about Reid’s citizenship.  Don’t you guys have anyone better than these dim-bulbs?