Newt Gingrich: Does Faith Matter? Absolutely.

From Yosemitest:

At 12 minutes 30 seconds into this video at the Western GOP Debate, Las Vegas, NV, started a question
that Newt Gingrich gave the most important and best answer in the whole debate.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR AND DEBATE MODERATOR: And welcome back to the CNN GOP debate live from the Venetian in Las Vegas.
Let's continue. We've got an e-mail question that was left at cnnpolitics.com.
This is from a Mike Richards who says:

"With the controversy surrounding Robert Jeffress, is it acceptable to let the issue of a candidate's faith shape the debate?"

Senator Santorum, this is in reference to a Baptist pastor who, at the Values Voter Summit, after introducing Governor Rick Perry, said of --
said that "Mitt Romney is not a Christian," and that "Mormonism is a cult."
Those were his words.

Should...

(BOOING)

COOPER: Should voters pay attention to a candidate's religion?

SANTORUM: I think they should pay attention to the candidate's values, what the candidate stands for.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

SANTORUM: That's what is at play. And the person's faith --

and you look at that faith and what the faith teaches with respect to morals and values that are reflected in that person's belief structure.

So that's -- those are important things.

I -- I'm a Catholic. Catholic has social teachings.
Catholic has teachings as to what's right and what's wrong.
And those are legitimate things for voters to look at,
to say if you're a faithful Catholic, which I try to be --

fall short all the time, but I try to be

-- and -- and it's a legitimate thing to look at as to what the tenets and teachings of that faith are
with respect to how you live your life and -- and how you would govern this country.

With respect to what is the road to salvation, that's a whole different story.
That's not applicable to what -- what the role is of being the president or a senator or any other job.

(APPLAUSE)

COOPER: Speaker Gingrich, you agree with that? GINGRICH: Well, I think if the question is,

does faith matter? Absolutely.

How can you have a country which is founded on truths which begins

we are endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights?

How can you have the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 which says

religion, morality and knowledge being important, education matters.

That's the order: religion, morality and knowledge.

Now, I happen to think that none of us should rush in judgment of others in the way in which they approach God.
And I think that all of us up here I believe would agree.

(APPLAUSE)

But I think all of us would also agree that

there's a very central part of your faith in how you approach public life.

And I, frankly, would be really worried if somebody assured me

that nothing in their faith would affect their judgments,

because then I'd wonder, where's your judgment --

how can you have judgment if you have no faith? And how can I trust you with power if you don't pray?

(APPLAUSE)

Who you pray to, how you pray, how you come close to God is between you and God.
But the notion that you're endowed by your creator sets a certain boundary on what we mean by America.

Sarah Palin: Newt Gingrich Won Vegas Face-Off, Would "Clobber" Obama In A Debate

From Real Clear Politics:

Former Alaska governor Palin discussed the latest GOP debate, the candidates and momentum and more on FOX News' "On the Record With Greta Van Susteren."

"I think we (Republicans) are more interested in substance and that's why like tonight Newt Gingrich again I think did the best because he seems to be above a lot of the bickering that goes on," Sarah Palin told FOX News after tonight's CNN debate in Las Vegas.

Everybody could learn from Newt Gingrich and the way his calm, cool, collected manner. He's kind of seen it all before in this political game, if you will," Palin said about Gingrich's debate skills.

"Newt Gingrich would -- he would clobber Barack Obama in any debate, any forum that had to do with substance when it comes to policy and solutions for the challenges that America faces. Newt Gingrich would clobber Barack Obama. I don't know if he's going to be the one that surfaces as the fortunate candidate who gets to face Barack Obama because unfortunately, in this day and age, sometimes conventional wisdom would dictate that he who has the most money, the campaign dollars, wins. I don't want to believe that this is going to be the case this go-around," Palin said about a debate between Gingrich and Obama. (end)

I recall this from 2008 - Newt responding to an MSNBC reporter when asked about Sarah Palin's experience: