NOBODY RIDES FOR FREE

Newt Gingrich, responding to a warning from the House ethics committee, said he would pay for his imminent 25-day promotional book tour himself rather than risk violating House travel restrictions. The House Speaker's attorney, Jan Baran, pledged the tour would "satisfy not only the letter, but the spirit" of House rules and welcomed "any guidance whatsoever from the committee." A constructive attitude may help: the committee will soon decide whether to hire an outside counsel to investigate five formal ethics complaints filed against Gingrich.