MANCHESTER, NH — In an interview Friday morning, former New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu, a key supporter of Mitt Romney, accused rival Newt Gingrich of living in a state of perpetual anger, of being detached from reality, and of lacking the guts to attack Romney face-to-face.
“He’s always angry,” Sununu said. “There’s nothing new about that. That’s why his colleagues kicked him out as Speaker of the House. This is the old Gingrich. There was a new Gingrich for about 11 microseconds, and now you’re back to the old Gingrich.”
Gingrich’s anger is not really about Romney, Sununu suggested. “It’s because he got caught by his colleagues. Peter King, I think, made the most accurate point that unfortunately in Newt Gingrich’s world, if something is good for Newt Gingrich, then that becomes the truth for him. Most of what you’re hearing from Gingrich has nothing to do with the reality of his record, or anyone else’s record.”
A few minutes before the interview, Sununu was asked on Fox News about Gingrich’s charge that Romney approved taxpayer-funded abortions while governor of Massachusetts — an accusation Romney strongly denies. Does Sununu expect that issue to come up during two debates this weekend? “I don’t think Mr. Gingrich has the guts to say it to Gov. Romney’s face,” Sununu said. “He is wrong. It is dishonest for him to say that…Mr. Gingrich has a little difficulty with the truth.”
Sununu’s charges come just days after Gingrich accused Romney of being a liar. “Somebody who will lie to you to get to be president will lie to you when they are president,” Gingrich said.
The two men will have an opportunity to face each other twice this weekend, once in a debate at St. Anselm’s College Saturday night and again in a debate on NBC Sunday morning.
