Gingrich Shines in GOP Debate as Candidates Seek to Contrast with Obama

(Newsroom America) -- Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich put in a strong performance in the latest Republican presidential debate Thursday night in Charleston, S.C., angrily denouncing the media over earlier reports by an ex-wife that he wanted an "open marriage," while placing himself as the only viable alternative to President Obama in the fall.

The debate, which was hosted by CNN, started off with a testy exchange between moderator and Chief National Correspondent John King and Gingrich, after King asked whether the claims made by ex-wife Marianne Gingrich were true.

"To take an ex-wife and make it two days before the primary a significant question in a presidential campaign is as close to despicable as anything I can imagine," Gingrich responded with a pointed finger, to some of the loudest applause of the night.

It was a raucous end to a roller-coaster day which also saw former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum officially declared the winner of the Iowa caucus and Texas Gov. Rick Perry withdrawing from the race and tossing his support to Gingrich.

In the hours before the debate, ABC News released excerpts of its interview with Marianne, which was aired in full Thursday night on the network's "Nightline" program. She claimed that her ex-husband did not have the moral character to be president because he was having an affair with his current wife, Callista, at the same time he was making speeches about morality.

"How could he ask me for a divorce on Monday and within 48 hours give a speech on family values and talk about how people treat people?" she told the Washington Post.

The remainder of the debate saw the candidates make impassioned pleas to voters about their conservative credentials, but at times fought off attacks from each other as well as each tried to position himself as the best conservative alternative to Obama.

On the issue of healthcare reform, all of the candidates said they would work to repeal so-called "Obamacare," the president's signature healthcare legislation. Santorum accused Gingrich and frontrunner Mitt Romney of not having enough credibility to challenge Obama on healthcare reform, citing Romney's own, similar legislation as governor of Massachusetts and Gingrich's earlier support for the same kind of individual mandate currently at the center of a legal challenge in the U.S. Supreme Court.

Electability was also front and center. Earlier in the week, Gingrich called on Santorum and Texas Gov. Rick Perry to drop out of the race; the latter chose to do so earlier in the day Thursday and threw his support to the former House speaker, leaving only Santorum to respond.

"Grandiosity has never been a problem with Newt Gingrich," saying he's the best conservative choice and that Republicans should not choose a candidate who's going to surprise them later.

During the exchange, Romney raised his hand to point out that he was the outsider of the group and that was precisely what the nation needed moving forward.

"We need to send to Washington someone who has not lived in Washington, but someone who's lived in the real streets of America," he said.

The fourth candidate on state, Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, received applause when he called for lower taxes and fewer overseas military commitments, as he has done in the past. He also touted his libertarian views, saying he alone had the ability to work with both Democrats and Republicans in Congress.

© 2012 Newsroom America.

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