Newt Gingrich: Obama 'Most Radical President'

Newt Gingrich laid into President Obama with gusto last night as he helped kick off the Southern Republican Leadership Conference. Obama is "the most radical president in American history," he declared. "He has said, 'I run a machine, I own Washington, and there is nothing you can do about it.'" Another shot, noted by CBS: "What we need is a president, not an athlete. Shooting three point shots may be clever, but it doesn't put anybody to work."

Gingrich sounded an awful lot like a candidate, write Reid Wilson and Erin McPike at the National Journal, dropping reminders throughout the speech about his role in the 1994 Contract With America and the GOP's triumph of that year. "His experience will play a role in the GOP's strategy to roll back the health care overhaul," they write. "And given the reaction he's received, it's clear Gingrich will be a major player." (More Newt Gingrich stories.)