Gingrich Lambastes De Niro for 'White First Lady' Joke

Watch out, Robert De Niro, you're on Newt Gingrich's bad side: Gingrich slammed the actor today after De Niro made a joke about first ladies last night at an Obama fundraiser. De Niro, speaking before Michelle Obama at the New York event, wondered, "Callista Gingrich. Karen Santorum. Ann Romney. Now do you really think our country is ready for a white first lady?" As the crowd cheered, he continued, "Too soon, right?"

Today in Louisiana, an indignant Gingrich responded, CNN reports: "I do want to say one thing, both on behalf of my wife and on behalf of Karen Santorum and on behalf of Ann Romney, I think that Robert De Niro's wrong. I think the country is ready for a new first lady and he doesn't have to describe it in racial terms." He added that President Obama needs to apologize: "If people on the left want to talk about talk show hosts, then everybody in the country should hold the president accountable when someone at his event says something that is utterly and terrible unacceptable as what Robert De Niro said." (Bristol Palin would likely agree.) The Obama campaign has since called De Niro's comment "inappropriate." (More Robert De Niro stories.)