RUSH: ABC has released the first clip. This is the one where she says that he wanted an open marriage. Brian Ross, our old buddy Brian Ross, and here’s the bit.

MARIANNE: I said to him, “Newt, we’ve been married a long time,” and he said, “Yes, but you want me all to yourself. Callista doesn’t care what I do.”

ROSS: What was he saying to you, do you think?

MARIANNE: He… Oh, he was asking to have an open marriage, and I refused.

ROSS: He wanted an open marriage?

MARIANNE: Yeah, that I accept the fact that he — he has somebody else in his life.

ROSS: And you said…?

MARIANNE: No. No. That is not a marriage.

RUSH: So that’s the clip that’s been released. So this morning, Brian Ross shows up on our affiliate in Washington, WMAL, a program called The Morning Majority. Examine they were having a discussion about this interview, and Brian Ross got the following question: “What’s the news out of this, Brian? What did you learn that you didn’t know before?”

ROSS: The most dramatic thing, uhhhh, from the point of view of people looking at Gingrich in this campaign about character and that he’s asked God’s forgiveness and that he believes in the sanctity of marriage, is her allegation that, uh, what Gingrich wanted from her was an open marriage. He came to her and said, “I want to stay married to you and still have an affair with Callista,” his current wife. According to Marianne, he said, “You — you need to share me,” and she said, “I don’t want to share,” and the marriage ended. She talks about how he called her to say he loved her knowing that Callista was right next to him in bed in their apartment in Washington.

RUSH: You want to hear more? You salacious bunch of people! You want to hear more? Okay, then the host said, “Sounds like the big news is he asked Marianne for an open marriage.”

ROSS: The hypocrisy of a man who right after calling her up at her mother’s house to ask for a divorce then went to Erie, Pennsylvania, to give a speech on family values; and she challenged him on this and carry out an affair for six years in her apartment when she was out of town; and he, according to her, said, “It doesn’t matter what I do, it only matters what I say. That’s my role in the world is to speak on these issues.”

RUSH: Yeah, Brian Ross is out there saying that Newt said to Marianne, “Look, the way I live doesn’t matter; what I say is what’s important.” Now, folks, I don’t really want to nitpick here. You know me. I’m not a nitpicker, but I am a stickler for language; and we do know that he didn’t want “an open marriage;” he wanted a mistress. He was asking if he could have one other woman. Now, that’s not, by definition, an open marriage. It’s a mistress. An open marriage is there are no limits. You do whatever and both sides are engaging in it — no matter what, no limits, and whatever — for whatever reasons, stay married. There was even a book about open marriages and how they’re healthy.

I remember reading about that. I read this book in the 1970s. There were all kinds of wacko New Age books out in the seventies. Yes I Can, No You Can’t! I’m Strong and You’re Weak! I forget what they were called. I read ’em all. (Interruption) I’m OK, You’re OK. Yeah. All this gobbledygook was out there, and open marriage was one of them. That’s why my note from my friend that I read the beginning of the show: “So Newt wanted an open marriage. BFD! At least he asked his wife for permission instead of just cheating on her. That’s a mark of character in my book, Rush. Newt’s a victim here. We all are! Ours is the horniest generation.

“We were soldiers in the sexual revolution. We were tempted by everything from Bob & Carol and Ted & Alice to Plato’s Retreat, from Deep Throat to no fault divorce. Many of us paid the ultimate price. AIDS, abortion, alimony, for the cultural marching orders we received. Hell, for all I know we should be getting disability from the government for what we went through. Newt’s slogan ought to be, ‘Hell, yes, I wanted to!'” (interruption) You don’t know what Plato’s Retreat is? I’m embarrassed. Do you know…? Have you read Ulysses, James Joyce? (sigh) Well, there’s always Wikipedia. You know, even this program has limits.