Newt Gingrich irritated a lot of fundamentalists when he refused to sign the “Marriage Vow” pledge pushed on the Republican candidates by Iowa’s radical religious right group “The Family Leader” (whose leader Bob Vander Plaats is a Birther).

Now, instead of signing it, Gingrich has sent The Family Leader a lengthy letter with his own pledges. The thrice-married serial philanderer who divorced his first wife as she lay in a hospital bed, and had numerous adulterous affairs while he led the charge to impeach Bill Clinton, is promising to refrain from adultery.

But we should believe him this time. He’s changed.

Defending Marriage. As President, I will vigorously enforce the Defense of Marriage Act, which was enacted under my leadership as Speaker of the House, and ensure compliance with its provisions, especially in the military. I will also aggressively defend the constitutionality of DOMA in federal and state courts. I will support sending a federal constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman to the states for ratification. I will also oppose any judicial, bureaucratic, or legislative effort to define marriage in any manner other than as between one man and one woman. I will support all efforts to reform promptly any uneconomic or anti-marriage aspects of welfare and tax policy. I also pledge to uphold the institution of marriage through personal fidelity to my spouse and respect for the marital bonds of others.

The rest of Gingrich’s promises read like a laundry list of far right platforms: anti-gay, anti-women’s rights, anti-secularism, pro-states’ rights. The usual.