Eleanor Clift: What Irritates Media Most About Newt Gingrich Is 'The Fact That He Is Right'

Newsweek's Eleanor Clift made a rather revealing statement about the media's treatment of Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich Sunday.

Shortly after CNN's Howard Kurtz asked his Reliable Sources panel, "Why do some of these commentators have such a deep-seated animus toward Newt," Clift surprising said, "I think he's right about a lot of [things]. And I think that's even more irritating, the fact that he is right" (video follows with transcript and commentary):

HOWARD KURTZ, HOST: In an increasingly shrill media environment, running for president means being attacked, assailed, mocked, ridiculed, bashed, belittled and otherwise denigrated. But rarely have we seen the kind of harsh rhetoric unleashed against a man who's been a national political figure for two decades, the former speaker of the House.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

GEORGE WILL, CONSERVATIVE COMMENTATOR: Gingrich's is an amazingly efficient candidacy, and that it embodies almost everything disagreeable about modern Washington. He's the classic rental politician.

MIKA BRZEZINSKI, MSNBC: It's really not surprising coming from me, but that was about the most arrogant and un-self-aware, and those are probably the only words I can use, things for any politician in this Republican field to say.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Disgusting.

KAREN FINNEY, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: He is a mean, vindictive SOB who does not really care about anything other than power.

MARTIN BASHIR, MSNBC: But if anyone's dirty, it's Newt Gingrich -- a man whose personal morality has been drawn from the sewer, a man who pontificates about his Catholic faith and morality but repeatedly commits adultery.

(END VIDEO CLIPS)

KURTZ: And that's just some of what's been on television. How much of this has to do with Gingrich's record and how much to do with his relations with the Washington press corps?

Joining us now here in Washington: Danielle Crittenden, author and managing editor of blogs for the "Huffington Post" Canada; Eleanor Clift, Washington correspondent for "Newsweek" and "The Daily Beast"; and Jackie Kucinich, political reporter for "USA Today."

Read more: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2011/11/27/eleanor-clift-what-irritates-media-most-about-newt-gingrich-fact-he-r#ixzz1eyICMFy3