Michael Steele Defends Newt Gingrich On Ryan Plan, Suggests GOP Critics Are Being Hypocritical

Nearly overnight, potential presidential candidate Newt Gingrich has become a virtual persona non grata in the conservative movement for dismissing the GOP plan to end Medicare Sunday as “right-wing social engineering.” Everyone from House Republicans, to conservative media outlets like the Wall Street Journal, to a conservative voter in Iowahave publicly condemned Gingrich. And today, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R), whose state will play a critical role in the 2012 GOP primary, hammered Gingrich’s “absolutely unfortunate” comments. Potential presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty also “explicitly declined to support” Ryan’s Roadmap.