Newt Gingrich can thank his ex-wife for 243,253 votes in South Carolina, well at least many of them. Marianne Gingrich, wife number 2, probably thought she was going to get a degree of pay-back, when she did ABC News interview about Newt's "Open marriage" proposal. Certainly she appears to feel poor treatment and probably betrayal at Newt’s hand. It turned out though she is helping many big donors write an even bigger check for his campaign. Proves again that it is bad form to speak of ex’s in a bad way especially if you knew what you were getting into when you entered the relationship – remember Marianne was wife No-2 having been fitted-in while Wife No 1 (Jackie Battley – his onetime High School Geometry teacher) was apparently according to a 1985 Washington Post quote recovering from cancer surgery: “He wanted to discuss the terms of the divorce while I was recovering from the surgery. To say I gave up a lot for the marriage is the understatement of the year.” Newt Gingrich’s marital and extra-marital past does neither to qualify nor disqualify him for office. After all, there are many more critical issues of national and international interests. It would be unwise for country and unfair to the candidate to hold up every aspect of personal/public life to scrutiny, especially since our morals and circumstances as nation dramatically vary. Ronald Reagan was divorced, Bill Clinton is… Well, you get the point. However, an appeal to the electorate on basis of family values would open up the candidate to a review for consistency or hypocrisy. However, the clever way in which Newt Gingrich handled it and the perception of Marianne Gingrich’s disloyalty, unseemliness as well as own hypocrisy as Wife No. 2, made a vote for Newt in South Carolina as much a vote against the media and the Second Wife. After all, even if our own past may be as boring as Tide Detergent, most people value the sanctity of a relationship or at least loyalty even after the marriage ends. The two next questions arising from this episode though are more relevant: • Will Newt’s Ex-Wife momentum continue into Florida and even beyond. (Remember, around half of US marriages end in divorce, including same sex marriages apparently)? • Will the candidate’s personal lives now become off-limits, even if perhaps hypocrisy is at issue? While some may suspect that Newt is on constant self-destruct watch, he should not be underestimated regardless of baggage. What makes him a target also is what underlies a formidable sharp edge and campaigner. I will not underestimate him any longer! By Ambassador Muhamed Sacirbey Facebook Become a Fan at “Diplomatically Incorrect” Twitter – Follow at DiplomaticallyX FOLLOW mo @MuhamedSacirbey