Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich on Sunday said that Rush Limbaugh was right to apologize for calling a Georgetown University law student a slut, adding that it was "silly" to say the conservative radio host speaks for Republicans.
Last week, Limbaugh labeled the Sandra Fluke a “prostitute” and a “slut” because of her testimony in Congress that her friend, a lesbian, could not afford the oral contraception she needed to prevent ovarian cysts from forming because her university refused to pay for them on religious grounds.
After advertisers threatened to pull out of his show, Limbaugh offered an apology to Fluke on Saturday.
"I think he's indicated himself he made a mistake and I think he did the right thing," Gingrich told CNN's Candy Crowley Sunday. "He did the right thing. I'm glad he did it. That issue ought to be behind us."
Crowley noted that "as kind of spokesman for the Republican Party," Limbaugh had hurt GOP candidates.
"I know that everybody in the media is desperate to protect Barack Obama, that's silly," Gingrich replied. "The Republican Party has four people running for president, none of whom are Rush Limbaugh."
Earlier in the interview, the former House Speaker also blasted President Barack Obama for "taking on blame" by apologizing after U.S. troops allegedly burned Qurans in Afghanistan.
But Gingrich insisted to Crowley that Limbaugh's apology was not the same thing.
"Let me draw the distinction, [Limbaugh] isn't commander-in-chief," he explained. "His apology didn't do anything worldwide, it didn't put any blame on the United States."
