By Rachel E. Stassen-Berger
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who just a few weeks ago praised Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty as a "terrific talent," is none too pleased with TPaw these days.
Since Pawlenty endorsed the Conservative Party candidate in a New York special election over the Republican candidate, Gingrich has dissed the governor.
Gingrich's most recent criticism came in The Daily Beast online:
Gingrich directed particular attention at Pawlenty and Palin for their apparent drive for ideological purity.
"You should call and ask them and say what's the purity test for the governor of California? Does anyone pass the purity test? I just want to know what the test is….[Scozzafava] is not the perfect candidate. You are talking about a region where we currently have 3 out 39 seats in the House. Why is it that? When I was speaker we had a substantial number of seats in the region."
Pawlenty said this week the Republican candidate in the New York race didn't meet even "minimum standards" for a Republican and largely brushed off criticism of his endorsement:
