Newt Gingrich might not be “a citizen of the world,” as he proudly proclaimed at the G.O.P.’s annual fundraising dinner, going so far as to offer a reverse shout-out to all of the 
countries he distinctly wouldn’t want to be a citizen of —“North Korea, Zimbabwe, Venezuela, Cuba or Russia.” But he did use his keynote address tonight to touch on questions facing the citizens of his Republican world.
Mr. Gingrich, the former speaker of the House, acknowledged Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin in the audience and called for an “inclusive, not exclusive” approach to the Republican Party’s future. He also addressed the recent controversy about who best represents the party “(I am happy that Dick Cheney is a Republican. I am also happy that Colin Powell is a Republican.”). And that was just the beginning.
“I think our goal should be to reach out to the American people in every possible way, to make sure that John Boehner becomes the Speaker of the House January of 2011 and Mitch McConnell becomes the Senate majority leader and that this is a one-term presidency, in the Jimmy Carter tradition,” Mr Gingrich said. His comments echoed a sentiment Mr. Boehner had mentioned earlier, when he called on the audience to help him “make sure Nancy Pelosi doesn’t spend one more day in the Speaker’s chair.”
The event — jointly sponsored by the National Republican Senatorial Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee — raised $14.45 million. And with its exposed ceiling beams (courtesy of the Washington Convention Center’s Hall D) and rouge-hued reception rooms, the event almost felt more like an oversized nightclub than the steak-and-vegetable-medley affair for super-donors that it actually was.
Although Governor Palin did not speak, her brief walk-and-wave to her seat with her husband, Todd, before the event began generated a smattering of applause and put an end to the nagging question of the day: Just what was the deal with Ms. Palin and the dinner, and would she be making an appearance?
She did, and when the crowd sat down to dinner after brief remarks by Congressman Paul Ryan, Senator Orrin Hatch, Senator Mitch McConnell and the House minority leader, John Boehner,all emceed by the actor Jon Voight, a steady stream of people milled around her table, just to the left of the stage.
And, of course, she got some shout-outs. Senator John Cornyn, the NRSC chairman, thanked Ms. Palin for her attendance, and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich seconded the kudos when he took the stage for his keynote and promptly offered: “I also want to thank Governor Palin and Todd for coming tonight, and being part of this.”
He added: “Despite every effort of the elite media to prop up Joe Biden and pretend he actually knows what he’s doing, I felt looking at John McCain and Sarah Palin, this country would have been amazingly better off had they been in the White House.”
Mr. Gingrich ended his speech nearly an hour later — with only one fleeting reference to Judge Sonia Sotomayor, whom he had previously called a “racist” before softening his tone — by calling on his party to win in 2010 and take back the White House after just one term in 2012.
“And before you say it can’t be done, let me remind you of Jon Voight’s great quote ‘do not tell me it can’t be done,’” Mr. Gingrich said. “It was true for FDR. It’s true for us.”