Newt Gingrich, like former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, has a history of tolerance when it comes to Muslims he may have to disavow, reports Justin Elliott:
As speaker of the House in the 1990s, for example, Gingrich played a key role in setting aside space on Capitol Hill for Muslim congressional staffers to pray each Friday; he was involved with a Republican Islamic group that promoted Shariah-compliant finance, which critics -- including Gingrich -- now deride as a freedom-destroying abomination; and he maintained close ties with another Muslim conservative group that even urged Gingrich to run for president in 2007.
That was before Muslim-bashing was the new hotness in the Republican Party, and Gingrich decided to become one of the most vocal proponents of sharia panic. The Onion captured the meta-narrative of the GOP nomination race best with a piece titled "Mitt Romney Haunted By Past Of Trying To Help Uninsured Sick People." One of the biggest problems for a prospective Republican nominee is having to disavow a past record of common decency.
