Newt's free speech problem

Old white guys who have been in power for a while seem to have trouble maneuvering through race issues. In November, it was Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO), who referred to Miami as a "third world country." In February, Senator Joe Biden (D-DE) referred to Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) as the first "clean" and "articulate" black presidential candidate.

Now former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich has referred to languages other than English as "the language of living in a ghetto."

"We should replace bilingual education with immersion in English," he told the women's group last weekend, "so people learn the common language of the country and they learn the language of prosperity, not the language of living in a ghetto."

Newt, of course, backpedaled quickly from his statement. Maegan la Mala of Vivir Latino said...

Don't you love how politicos use Spanish when it works for them and when it doesn't, they trash it?

And all three of these guys want to be president.

Besides the racial overtones, there is also a free speech issue here. But, then again, Newt has made it clear before that he's no fan of free speech.

Andy in Harrisburg