Earlier when I saw the Politico piece "Newt Gingrich proposes abolishing EPA" I had to wonder - how long will it take him to recant or reframe what he said so it doesn't sound so nuts? After all, his remarks were provided to Politico by an aide, and weren't word for word what he said to his Iowa audience.
Turns out I didn't have to wait long, but rather than recant, Newt dug in. The Associated Press is reporting on an interview with the former Republican House Speaker, saying
"Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich called Tuesday for the elimination of the Environmental Protection Agency, which he wants to replace with a new organization that would work more closely with businesses and be more aggressive in using science and technology."
The article continues:
"Gingrich had previously mentioned his desire to change the EPA, but Tuesday's explanation was the first time he made a specific proposal for replacing the agency, Gingrich spokesman R.C. Hammond said."
So there you have it. Newt Gingrich has found a way to change his party's identification as the party of "No", at least when it comes to letting big corporate polluters do what they want. His solution? Just say Yes.