Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich has officially flip-flopped about his 2008 Al Gore ad with Nancy Pelosi on global warming. Gingrich declared he now “regrets” making the commercial. Gingrich’s announcement comes after months of pressure from global warming skeptics, led by Climate Depot. (See: Sierra Club’s Carl Pope recognizes Climate Depot as Kingmaker: ‘All seem to be mindful of the remarkable know-nothing standard set for GOP candidates by Marc Morano’)
The Hill – July 26, 2011 Excerpt: Gingrich regrets 2008 climate ad with Pelosi — By Michael O’Brien – 07/26/11 — Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) said Tuesday that he regrets making a commercial with then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on the need to address climate change. Gingrich, who partnered with Pelosi while she was Speaker for the 2008 ad, said the spot was “misconstrued,” and for that reason, he wouldn’t do it again. “I was trying to make a point that we shouldn’t be afraid to debate the left, even on the environment,” Gingrich said on WGIR radio of the 30-second television commercial. “Obviously it was misconstrued, and it’s probably one of those things I wouldn’t do again.” That commercial has caused some difficulties for Gingrich in the Republican presidential primary. […] Gingrich said in January that he “meant exactly what [he] said in that commercial,” which was produced by the Alliance for Climate Protection, a nonprofit organization founded by former Vice President Al Gore (D). In the ad, Gingrich makes no endorsement of any policy solution, but says the “country must take action to address climate change.” [End The Hill article excerpt.]
Climate Depot’s executive editor Marc Morano responded on July 27 to Gingrich’s latest evolving explanation of his 2008 Pelosi ad.
Morano: “Gingrich is now admitting the obvious, the Gore climate ad with Pelosi was rooted in sub-prime science, sub-prime economics and sub-prime politics. We welcome Gingrich’s last ditch attempt to grasp scientific and political reality, but still scratch our heads as to why Newt refers to the Pelosi ad as some kind of ‘debate’ that was ‘misconstrued’ by the public. Mr. Gingrich, please just admit your whopper of a mistake and stop trying to spin your embarrassing behavior.”
Watch Gingrich/Pelosi loveseat ad here.
Gingrich’s latest shift on global warming leaves only former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman and Mitt Romney as the only two announced GOP candidates clinging to the Al Gore style global warming beliefs. Climate Depot led a nationwide effort to expose Newt Gingrich’s global warming views and resurrected the Pelosi ad in May of this year.