The Republicans' Pit Bull

Pit Bull

Moments before House Speaker Jim Wright launched into his resignation speech last week, his nemesis Newt Gingrich was seen merrily whistling through the halls of Congress. When Democrats and then Republicans stood to applaud Wright's denunciation of "mindless cannibalism," Gingrich rose to his feet only grudgingly, hands jammed into his pockets. Afterward, Gingrich, the minority whip and second-ranking Republican in Congress, shunned the crowds of waiting reporters. When he finally did surface, he bristled with his usual attack-dog rhetoric: "Jim Wright is forced out, and he blames the rest of us for his resignation. He has insulted the ethics committee and...

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