One of the most visible right wing politicians in the parade of bigotry surrounding the Cordoba House project is perennial opportunist Newt Gingrich. He’s compared the developers to Nazis, and spouts rhetoric virtually indistinguishable from the anti-Muslim rants of deranged lunatic Pamela Geller.

Correction: now he spouts that kind of sick rhetoric. In October 2007, he was singing a very different tune. LGF reader Curious Lurker discovered the following video at Newt Gingrich’s own YouTube channel, in which Gingrich praises Islam and advocates reaching out to moderates.

Compare the statements above to the video below, posted on Mr. Gingrich’s own YouTube channel in October 2007, in which he says (starting around 00:58): “…if you read all of the documents that surround Islam, there are plenty of ways you can decide to be modern.” He follows this up by praising “the greatest of the Caliphates” for being very modern and very cosmopolitan (his emphasis on very, not mine). He even goes on to say “they were actually better for Christians and Jews than a number of Christian places. They had very enlightened policies.”

Next, he tells the audience that “we should be in the business of maximizing the networking and the communicating and the capabilities of people who are prepared to defend and support a reconcilable modernizing Islam”. According to Mr. Gingrich, this starts with a very simple test based on the role of women (i.e. holding a job, going to school, etc.) If this test is passed, “you’re fine” says he. According to all credible accounts, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf passes the test with flying colors, yet Mr. Gingrich continues to try to paint him as some sort of dangerous radical Islamist. Perhaps Imam Rauf isn’t the one with a hidden agenda.