While Newt Gingrich must be a pretty smart guy with his Ph.D. and everything, the presidential candidate -- or, more likely, his campaign staff -- blundered some figures in his latest very, very long YouTube video. Associated Press reporter Dina Cappiello found six cringe-worthy realizations, some of which show off Gingrich's ties to lobbyists and general ignorance on energy policy. Among them:
- Gingrich opportunistically blames the president for rising gas prices (or doesn't understand how gas prices work).
- Gingrich erroneously suggests that the United States imports oil from Iran. Quoting Cappiello, "The U.S. doesn't import any oil from Iran."
- Gingrich suggestively bats down the idea of using wind turbines for green energy, because they kill thousands of migratory birds. This is misleading, Cappiello explains, because "much larger sources of bird deaths such as automobile strikes, cat attacks and birds colliding with buildings." Should we also get rid of cats, Newt?
"A 28-minute political ad offers a candidate something sound bites can never capture -- a chance to explore a subject in depth," noted Cappiello. "In the case of Newt Gingrich's unusual extended commercial on American energy policy, it just means more time for mistakes." See for yourself:
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Adam Clark Estes
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