Yesterday — in the wake of losing several sponsors — Rush Limbaugh apologized for calling law student Sandra Fluke a "slut" and a "prostitute." Fluke had the audacity to argue in front of Congress that her employer's health care coverage should cover her birth control. Since Limbaugh made his apology, notable Republicans have stepped forward to agree that Limbaugh's comments were out of line, and that the conservative talk show host does not speak for the Republican party as a whole.

The latest addition is Newt Gingrich, who went on CNN's State of the Union and lightly chided Limbaugh.

Gingrich tells CNN's "State of the Union" that he's glad the conservative commentator issued the apology on Saturday and that it's time to move beyond the controversy.

Also, what Limbaugh said was "wrong." It's not exactly the dramatic condemnation Gingrich might have promised, and it was followed up with an explanation of how this is really the media's fault, anyway. In Gingrich's words, it's "silly" to suggest Limbaugh speaks for the GOP, and we're all just "trying desperately to protect" Obama. (It's worth noting that Obama didn't call anyone a "slut," though he did call Sandra Fluke to offer his support.)

Gingrich is the last of the remaining Republican presidential nominee contenders to offer his opinion on Limbaugh's "slut" comments. It would probably be reaching to call the responses from Paul, Santorum, and Romney "apologies," but they do speak to a need for the candidates to distance themselves from Limbaugh. Romney may have offered the best non-apology of all when he said the words were "not the language I would have used." As we all know, there are countless synonyms for "slut."

[Image via AP]