Newt Gingrich's attack ads are growing increasingly strange (and desperate) as a new YouTube ad compares Mitt Romney to John Kerry — specifically his ability to decode the crazy language of French people.

The new ad starts out as a standard reminder that Romney was once the governor of a liberal Democratic state who had to distance himself from the politics of Reagan and Bush I to get elected. Not a totally unfair complaint in a conservative Republican primary, though the scary voice and bleak headlines are a bit much. The spot takes a big left turn near the end, however, when the Gingrich team digs up a scandalous video from Romney's horrid, internationalist past. It's the clearest indication the American public has received yet that the presidential candidate may be fluent in a foreign (i.e., wishy-washy) language.

Not just any foreign language, mind you. French! You all know what that means! (Wink!) He might as well run for President of Europe if he loves it so much. Oh, and in case you think this is just a dirty video trick, Romney lived in France for two and a half years as a Mormon missionary, which totally explains how he became a Massachusetts Liberal that can't beat Barack Obama.

If you're curious. here's the full clip of Romney's treachery: a promo video recorded for the 2002 Olympics. (French is one of the official languages of the Olympics, which is probably the only reason he agreed to work for them, too.)

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Dashiell Bennett