Fueling the myth mongering that Barack Obama is not a natural-born U.S. citizen, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said in a recent interview that the president may follow a "Kenyan, anti-colonial" worldview.
Speaking to the National Review, Gingrich pointed to a recent Forbes article by conservative writer Dinesh D'Souza which attempted to trace the origins of Obama's personal and political philosophies.
"What if [Obama] is so outside our comprehension, that only if you understand Kenyan, anti-colonial behavior, can you begin to piece together [his actions]?" Gingrich asked. "That is the most accurate, predictive model for his behavior."
"This is a person who is fundamentally out of touch with how the world works, who happened to have played a wonderful con, as a result of which he is now president," Gingrich added.
"I think he worked very hard at being a person who is normal, reasonable, moderate, bipartisan, transparent, accommodating -- none of which was true," Gingrich continues. "In the Alinksy tradition, he was being the person he needed to be in order to achieve the position he needed to achieve. ... He was authentically dishonest."
Considering D'Souza's and Gingrich's prominence within conservative intellectual circles, it stands to reason that their article and interview respectively, will be much discussed in the week ahead. Certainly, it appears, Democrats aren't shying away from pointing to the content as evidence that the GOP is top-heavy with extreme rhetoric and elements.
"This crushes the hopes of those who thought Gingrich could bring ideas instead of smears to what the GOP was offering," said DNC Press Secretary Hari Sevugan. "He's not a reasonable man that some thought he could be. He's proven he's just like the rest of them. With a worldview shaped by the most radical and fringe elements of the Republican Party, which are more dominant with each passing day."
This article originally referred to the myth that President Obama is not a 'naturalized' citizen rather than a natural-born citizen. We regret the error.