Newt Gingrich’s presidential candidacy appears over before it even began, with howls of protest from Republicans over his comments on Meet the Press and new questions about large bills to Tiffany’s. Gingrich was forced to make a call of apology to Chairman Paul Ryan and make additional conference calls to conservatives to explain his Meet the Press comments. Ryan had earlier gone on the Laura Ingraham show and said “with allies like that who needs the left?” His disastrous start led Eric Cantor to speculate that Gingrich is finished. From Politico:

“Many have said now he’s finished,” Cantor said in a radio interview, stopping short of endorsing that analysis but calling Gingrich’s comments “a tremendous misspeak.”

Gingrich is refusing comment on reports that he has accumulated as much as $500,000 in debt to Tiffany’s, saying that he did not want to engage in “gotcha politics.” Fox News was asking, but Newt was mum. I think it is fair to say that Gingrich is an early favorite to receive the Fix weekly award for the person having the worst week in Washington. His reception by conservative voters in Iowa only made a bad week worse. That video clip is attached.