So in the fuss to “scandalize” Obama’s secret service detail for doing something in Colombia that everyone who visits Colombia does (pay for sex) and also to ridiculously criticize him for using some tax dollars to travel for his re-election campaign (something every incumbent president has done), the media has overlooked something in the past week. [I know, big surprise.] They seem to be unaware or flat-out uninterested in the fact that Newt Gingrich also has a secret service detail. And who do you think also pays for his secret service detail?
Well…I’d love to say it’s Sheldon Adelson (the Venetian casino owner and Gingrich’s billionaire sugar daddy who’s almost single-handedly funded his campaign until he cut him off a few weeks ago), but the truth is that Gingrich is broke. He’s relying less and less on private cash he doesn’t have, and more and more on government cash that taxpayers don’t want to give him.
Now last week I picked Rick Santorum as April’s Asshole of the Month (and stand by his selection for all the reasons I listed). So I know it might feel a little like I’m just randomly picking on Republican Presidential candidates to fill articles while it’s five minutes to midnight in the nomination and there are still a couple of other fools (like Ron Paul and Gingrich) in the race besides Romney. Well, if you wanted to say that you wouldn’t be entirely wrong, but it does bother me that Obama gets criticized for his taxpayer-funded travel and protection, but no one questions the validity of Gingrich having secret service protection while he “campaigns” at the zoo he was at last week.
That’s right, for those that missed that gem of a story, apparently Gingrich is now just “campaigning” at places he merely wants to visit (no more stodgy town halls, bring on the amusement parks and zoos!) under the guise of competing with Romney for a race the Mitt-ster has already won. And while he was dicking around at the zoo last week, a penguin bit him. [A man I’ve been saying looks like the penguin from Batman for months actually gets bit by a penguin…irony, I love you.]
So the secret service is protecting a man who has NO chance of even getting the nomination, let alone becoming president, and the largest credible threat to Newt Gingrich to date has been a flightless, waddling bird you could escape by taking two steps back. Give it up Gingrich, and even you don’t, at least stop wasting tax dollars on your fool’s errand.