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Opinion: Gingrich on the radical Islamist wing of secular atheism

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Perhaps no other news lede better demonstrates how bloated modern presidential elections have become -- and how Newt Gingrich will say anything to fatten his base with those questioning whether Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) is too sane for their tastes -- than the opening sentence to this piece on CNN.com:

Hours after declaring Sunday that he expects to be running for president within a month, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said he’s worried the United States could be ‘a secular atheist country, potentially one dominated by radical Islamists,’ in the foreseeable future, according to Politico.

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Both clauses are disconcerting, but for different reasons. The first -- a declaration that Gingrich expects to declare something else within a month -- reflects the frenzy of today’s ‘forever campaigns.’ Preparing to establish an exploratory committee whose task is to lay the groundwork for a decision to announce that an announcement will be made shortly -- while drawing a salary from Fox News -- has become a full-time distraction for GOP presidential wannabes.

The second half of the sentence really gets my goat. The implication, even unintentional, that radical Muslims and secular atheists share a common enemy in America’s social order is so stupid that it fails to offend. But not to Gingrich’s ‘tea party’ audience. Plus, he managed to insert the polar-opposite bogeyman into a sentence about destroying America -- a triple whammy for his base in so few words. Give him credit for political efficiency, tea party style.

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-- Paul Thornton

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