Strike Three For Newt Gingrich

If Newt Gingrich hadn't already reached his third strike for his political future, he does so with the latest revelation that he pocketed $300,000 in consulting fees from Freddie Mac in 2006 to promote the "Freddie Mac business model" among many other former GOP lawmakers raking in fees from the discredited company. This is the same Gingrich who attacked the political influence of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae during the debate over the federal bailout legislation this fall, specifically singling out the amount of money Sens. Christopher Dodd and Barack Obama collected from the two in political contributions. As TPM notes, Gingrich started earning fees from Freddie Mac to "provide strategic counsel" as far back as 1999 soon after he stepped down as House Speaker. From morality to political ethics, Gingrich has demonstrated over and over again that he tops everyone when it comes to hypocrisy. Any further speculation about his potential as a 2012 GOP presidential candidate should end once and for all.