One of the most shameful things I ever did was, at the age of six, tell my little brother that if he cleaned my room for me I “might” pay him a dollar, and then, when he eagerly fulfilled what he understood to be his end of the bargain, I stiffed him. (I would argue that the lesson in linguistic precision has served him well ever since.) I suspect Newt Gingrich is attempting the same trick on Mitt Romney here:
Former House speaker Newt Gingrich said Monday morning he would “consider” returning the money he earned as a consultant to mortgage giant Freddie Mac if Republican rival Mitt Romney returned his earnings from “bankrupting companies and laying off employees.”
You just know that if Romney actually took this up and returned his Bain Capital lucre, Gingrich would duly “consider” returning his Freddie Mac loot and decide against it.
