Newt Gingrich: I cheated because I love my country so much and I work so hard

Newt Gingrich, on an appearance on the Christian Broadcasting Network, defended his serial adultery - including serving divorce papers on his sick first wife so he could marry his mistress - by explaining that he did some things he may not be so proud of because he's so doggone patriotic and hardworking.

“There's no question at times of my life, partially driven by how passionately I felt about this country, that I worked far too hard and things happened in my life that were not appropriate,” Gingrich told CBN's David Brody.

This is a rather inauspicious beginning of a run for President. Before the appearance on CBN, he stumbled a bit out of the gate when an adviser leaked the plans for forming an exploratory committee. That was followed by a another adviser claiming that wasn't true. And finally, an odd press conference that ended suddenly after one question.

I'm not sure if this is how you make a gold medal run for the highest office in the land, but it certainly gets some attention.