Not that I had time for it today, but I couldn’t resist answering this one. What’s your take? Why isn’t Newt getting the criticism he deserves for his past deeds? Will they eventually come back to haunt him? Or will he on his own make so many missteps that he destroys his own candidacy?

Arena Asks: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is threatening to discuss what she learned about Newt Gingrich from a 1990s ethics investigation. Pelosi, like Gingrich a former House speaker, hinted that she would one day discuss the “thousand pages of his stuff” that she rifled through in the late 1990s while serving on a panel that was investigating him for tax and ethics violations.

But would that really hurt presidential candidate Gingrich, considering the information has largely been aired publicly before? Is Gingrich politically inoculated on these and other old controversies, including the circumstances of his first divorce?

My Answer: Newt may be on the road to discrediting himself without needing Pelosi’s help. Just yesterday he flip flopped on his definition of whether human life (as in personhood) begins at conception.

A few days ago, he told ABC News, “I think that if you take a position when a woman has fertilized egg and that’s been successfully implanted that now you’re dealing with life. Because otherwise you’re going to open up an extraordinary range of very difficult questions.”

Implantation takes place 7–14 days post conception, and is the standard medical definition of pregnancy.

Yesterday, after being apparently smacked down by his hard rightwing anti-choice constituents who also oppose embryonic stem cell research and emergency contraception, he said: “I believe that human life begins at conception…I believe that every unborn life is precious, no matter how conceived…I support Congress enacting pro-life legislation under the 14th Amendment, including legislation that would define personhood as beginning at conception.”

Remember that this kind of flub is what started eroding Cain’s support even before the sexual harassment claims. It puts him on a par with the ever-flip-flopping Romney. And despite being old news and thus possible “inoculation,” Newt is going to be scrutinized again for his philandering as his standing in the polls keeps him on or near the top of the contenders.

Gingrich has so much baggage, they’d have to charter a whole plane to take him anywhere. The cumulative effect will be to drag him down eventually. Whether that is before or after the Republicans nominate their candidate remains to be seen.

Here’s the link to my original post on Politico…