Newt Gingrich & Libya

I've been remiss this week to highlight the epic string of flip-flops Newt Gingrich has been caught making with regard to US action in Libya. Think Progress has been all over this story and has put together a comparison of Newt's flip-flop on the whether or not we should be using air power last night on Fox News:

Previously Gingrich had turned to Facebook to try to explain away contradictions in his stance on Libya, only to...you guessed it...offer up new contradictions.

This is all relevant because it shows a fundamental incompetence at drawing contrast between himself and President Obama, while simultaneously demonstrating himself as a man of principle. When he supports the idea of forcing Qaddafi out of power, as he did in February, he shouldn't abandon that position because President Obama is now trying to make it a reality. Gingrich has moved from supporting a no fly zone to opposing it, supporting forceful action to opposing it, from supporting air strikes to limit Qaddafi's reach to saying they are insufficient, Gingrich looks opportunistic and unprincipled. That it is happening while service members are putting their lives at risk only makes Gingrich's play more cynical and unappealing. Obviously a strong contingent of the Republican base is happy to oppose President Obama, regardless of the substance of the opposition. But this is all stuff that opens up Gingrich to attack from other candidates, candidates who have been consistent in their stance on US action in Libya.