Newt Gingrich has entered the GOP's intra-party civil war. And not on Karl Rove's side.
In an article posted Wednesday on the website of the conservative magazine Human Events, Gingrich took aim at a controversial new Rove initiative that's intended to support establishment conservatives against Tea Party insurgents.
"I am unalterably opposed to a bunch of billionaires financing a boss to pick candidates in 50 states," Gingrich wrote. "This is the opposite of the Republican tradition of freedom and grassroots small town conservatism."
Rove's group has caused a firestorm among Tea Partiers and their allies since its announcement earlier this month. As we reported Tuesday, a veteran grassroots conservative activist has announced a $10,000 prize to be awarded to whomever comes up with the best plan for taking on Rove for control of the GOP. Tea Party Patriots on Tuesday sent out a fundraising pitch that included a photo-shopped image of Rove in a Nazi uniform. The group quickly apologized, calling the email a mistake.
In the article, Gingrich also referred to Rove's famously woeful record in last year's election.
There is a second practical thing wrong with Rove’s proposal," he wrote. "He was simply wrong last year. He was simply wrong last year. He was wrong about the Presidential race (watch a video of his blow up on Fox election night about Fox News calling Ohio for President Obama). He was also wrong about Senate races."
The former House Speaker continued his criticism in an interview on CBS Wednesday morning, calling Rove's new group "a terrible idea."