FOX News Channel "America's Election Headquarters" - Transcript

Interview

FOX News Channel "America's Election Headquarters"

MS. MACCALLUM: John McCain on the trail today, saying that he's going to unite the Republican Party. But some conservatives are not so sure. With us now is Fox News contributor and former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich. He's the author the newly released book "Real Change."

Newt, good evening. Good to see you.

MR. GINGRICH: Good to be with you.

MS. MACCALLUM: All right. I want to get to John McCain in a second. But the top story that we're following today, Eliot Spitzer, the governor of New York and his problems. What's your reaction to all of this? And do you think that he is toast and cooked and done and all the other adjectives that some have said about him tonight?

MR. GINGRICH: Well, first of all, absolute shock. I mean, I can't imagine that three or four hours ago, no one had any inkling of this. And now I think his career is over. I think he will have to resign. I don't see how you can be in office as governor, break federal law, which he clearly apparently has done, and expect to survive. So I think it's only a matter of hours before he'll have to leave office. But it's a total shock, and I felt very sad for his family watching that one scene. That must be an enormously painful day for them.

MS. MACCALLUM: Indeed. I'm sure you're right about that, watching his wife standing next to him on that tape that we have in there.

Let's talk about John McCain a bit. He's been working hard trying to win over the base of the Republican Party while at the same time saying that he wants to appeal to Reagan Democrats and independents, that that remains very important to him. How do you think he's doing so far?

MR. GINGRICH: Well, I think he's doing adequate. I don't think his campaign has jelled yet. Senator McCain simply has to represent two things. First, that he's for real change in Washington, that he would oppose earmarks of spending, that he would be for cutting the size of government, that he would build the wall along the border that people have talked about and make sure the fence existed and that we were safe, that he would take the steps necessary to defeat the terrorists, and that he would appoint very conservative judges.

I think, second, he's got to draw a contrast with whoever the Democratic nominee is. Either Senator Clinton or Senator Obama is going to be dramatically more liberal than Senator McCain. And given that choice, I think most conservatives, by October, are going to conclude that for the future of the country they have to favor McCain over either of those rivals.

MS. MACCALLUM: Right. Well, each of the things that you mentioned are part of his platform. He has said that he agrees with you on all four of the things that you just mentioned. Sean Hannity is going to sit down with him for an hour on Thursday night. What would you want him to be asked, and how would you ask him?

MR. GINGRICH: Well, I think that the number one thing that Senator McCain has to answer for most movement conservatives is whether or not he cares about the future of the conservative movement or whether he's just willing to use it to defeat the Democrat. And I think that Senator McCain has a record, it goes all the way back to being with then-Governor Reagan after he came back as a prisoner of war. Senator McCain was Governor Reagan's guest at the very first CPAC conference ever held. He was active in 1982, won a congressional seat. I think you could argue that he is in the tradition of Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan and Theodore Roosevelt.

He's not a conventional conservative. I disagree with him deeply on a couple of issues. But he is clearly, by any standard, dramatically more conservative than either of the Democrats. And I think it's a little hard to argue that, as a citizen, you ought to be for the victory of either Senator Obama or Senator Clinton if you believe in the values of conservatism.

MS. MACCALLUM: All right. Newt Gingrich, always good to talk to you, sir. Thank you very much.

MR. GINGRICH: Thank you.

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