When I first saw this undated clip, I rolled my eyes and thought here we go again with Newt. No doubt the C-SPAN archives are veritable treasure troves of these “Bad Newt” quotes from yesteryear, and I’m afraid we’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg so far. Just imagine what the Democrats will dig up on him if he ends up being the GOP nominee.
Upon further reflection though, I don’t think this particular statement is as disconcerting from a conservative standpoint as it might appear. I still find it curious that Newt would invoke a progressive icon like Woodrow Wilson in any sort of favorable light, but in the context of foreign policy and with the “realpolitik” descriptor added perhaps it can be justified. I’m not claiming to be an expert on Wilsonian foreign policy, I’m just trying to give Newt the benefit of the doubt here.
At least we know he’s not talking about Wilson’s far-left, socialistic domestic policy in this clip. So there’s that.
—