Newt Gingrich apologizes

In an attempt to quell the furor over his comments on Medicare and health care, Republican presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich is now doling out apologies.

Appearing on Fox News Tuesday after holding three conference calls, and making a personal apology to House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, Gingrich admitted: I made a mistake.

The fact is that I have supported what Ryan's trying to do on the budget, the former House speaker told Greta Van Susteren. The budget vote is one that I am happy to say I would have voted for.

The budget, which was passed earlier this year by House Republicans, would overhaul Medicare for future beneficiaries while combating out-of-control budget deficits and imposing sharp spending cuts on social safety net programs. It would also cut $6.2 trillion over 10 years from the budget submitted by President Obama.

On Sunday, Gingrich was quoted saying that the plan was too big of a jump and amounted to nothing more than right-wing social engineering. He even went as far to suggest that it was an effort at imposing radical change on Americans.

Since then, he has faced a maelstrom of criticism from members of his own party, as well as an angry Iowa voter, prompting many to speculate whether his run for the nation's highest office is over before it has really begun.

Many have said now he's finished, Politico reported House Majority Leader Eric Cantor saying. Gingrich's comments, he said, were a tremendous misspeak.

But for some, the misspeak, is becoming an all-too-familiar, and unattractive, habit.

The problem for Newt is, this is exactly what everybody who has ever worked for or around said was his basic problem, said Rich Galen, the Republican strategist and former Gingrich aide, Politico reported. Sooner or later, I suspect, unfortunately, the campaign will collapse from the top because people are going to say, 'I love him and he's really smart, but he can't be president.