US:Newt Gingrich, the darling of the conservative right and architect of the Republicans' 1990s "contract with America", has spoken about the extra-marital affair he conducted with a congressional assistant and confirmed that the relationship was ongoing at the time he forced the impeachment of President Bill Clinton over the Monica Lewinsky affair.
"There were times I was praying and I felt I was doing things that were wrong but I was still doing them. I look back on periods of weakness that I was not proud of," Mr Gingrich told the conservative Christian group Focus on the Family. Asked by the group's leader, James Dobson, whether he had been involved in an affair at the same time as Mr Clinton's "escapade" with Ms Lewinsky, Mr Gingrich replied: "The honest answer is yes." He added: "There are times that I have fallen short of my own standards. There's certainly times when I've fallen short of God's standards." But he insisted his relationship with an aide 20 years his junior, now his wife, had no bearing on the 1999 impeachment of the president, which he insisted was purely to do with whether Mr Clinton had perjured himself in front of a federal judge.
A highly divisive figure, Mr Gingrich remains very popular on the right of the Republican party. There has been consistent speculation that he may make a late entry into the pool of candidates for the 2008 presidential elections. Should he do so, his two divorces and extra-marital affairs may cause him difficulties with Christian evangelical voters, which perhaps explains his attempts now to clear the air.
- (Guardian service)