It has not been a good month for Newt Gingrich's (still hypothetical) 2012 White House bid. The former Speaker of the House was the subject of a blistering John Richardson Esquire profile, and faced criticism for his role in stoking fears over the 'Ground Zero mosque.' Things got even worse Friday night when current Oklahoma Senator (and former Contract With America signee) Tom Coburn slammed Gingrich's candidacy at a townhall forum in Tulsa. From the Tulsa World newspaper:

Coburn made it clear that he won't be on Newt Gingrich's 2012 presidential bandwagon.

Gingrich "is a super-smart man, but he doesn't know anything about commitment to marriage," he said of the thrice-married former House speaker. "He's the last person I'd vote for for president of the United States. His life indicates he does not have a commitment to the character traits necessary to be a great president."

Coburn is not the first Republican member of the House's fabled 'Class of 1994' to break with Gingrich. Two weeks ago, Florida congressman-turned-MSNBC-personality Joe Scarborough called Gingrich's comments on the proposed Park51 Islamic cultural center "deplorable."

Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments or send an email to the author at rgustini at theatlantic dot com. You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire.
Ray Gustini